Robin PottratzReview: "The Hangover" falls just short of hilarious...but does the job *** stars out of 4
August 8th 2009 22:01
It had strong buzz going in, but no one anticipated Todd Philips' bachelor party flick The Hangover to be such a mega hit. It recently passed Beverly Hills Cop to become the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time with $255 million and counting. So what made this seemingly formulaic movie such a hit?
For starters, it does its damnedest to stay away from formula. The plot seems straight forward: Doug (Justin Bartha) is about to get married...but before he does, he plans to take one last crazy trip to Vegas with his best friends... Uncommonly handsome schoolteacher Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Excellent Ed Helms), a dentist who is terrified of his cheating wife, and (Alan Galifianakis), his oddball future brother in law. They have a few funny exchanges before their unrememberable night...including one where Alan declares the group to be his wolfpack.
Then they wake up the next morning...with Doug gone, a Bengal tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, and absolutely no memory of the night before. What makes The Hangover so different and so fun is that we get to share the characters plight...we get to put the pieces together along with Phil, Stu, and Alan...and there is fun to be had in this adventure (expecially in the beginning).
Narratively, The Hangover does take a risk that pays off...the film is never lost or boring.
That is not to say that The Hangover itself isn't hit or miss. The film never reaches the point of being a comedy classic...or even being consistently hilarious (consistently funny and consistently hilarious are two very different things).
When The Hangover works, it soars. Like when Stu realizes that he is missing a tooth and tracks down the stripper (cute as a button Heather Graham) who is the mother of the baby in the closet...and his new wife. It is killer to see Mike Tyson in a terrific cameo that isn't complete self parody, and the ending credit sequence where we get to see a montage of pictures that captures the night before is the single funniest stretch in the entire film.
So what doesn't work?
Well, Galifianakis does have his moments...but as easy as you fall in love with him...you just as easily want him to go away. Some of the plot turns the film takes (the naked asian crime lord, the part where they actually find Doug, the fact that they were all drugged) all feel sort of forced and fall flat.
Todd Philips clearly understands comedy (hell, he even makes a short cameo as an afroed sexhound in an elevator), and The Hangover is easily his best attempt at comedy nirvana thus far. The film does lack in certain areas but it doesn't take away from the experience as a whole.
I recommend The Hangover to those who haven't seen it...but with a warning...keep your expectations for a classic in check...and you will enjoy your time at the movies with 3 guys who just can't handle Vegas.
For starters, it does its damnedest to stay away from formula. The plot seems straight forward: Doug (Justin Bartha) is about to get married...but before he does, he plans to take one last crazy trip to Vegas with his best friends... Uncommonly handsome schoolteacher Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Excellent Ed Helms), a dentist who is terrified of his cheating wife, and (Alan Galifianakis), his oddball future brother in law. They have a few funny exchanges before their unrememberable night...including one where Alan declares the group to be his wolfpack.
Then they wake up the next morning...with Doug gone, a Bengal tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, and absolutely no memory of the night before. What makes The Hangover so different and so fun is that we get to share the characters plight...we get to put the pieces together along with Phil, Stu, and Alan...and there is fun to be had in this adventure (expecially in the beginning).
Narratively, The Hangover does take a risk that pays off...the film is never lost or boring.
That is not to say that The Hangover itself isn't hit or miss. The film never reaches the point of being a comedy classic...or even being consistently hilarious (consistently funny and consistently hilarious are two very different things).
When The Hangover works, it soars. Like when Stu realizes that he is missing a tooth and tracks down the stripper (cute as a button Heather Graham) who is the mother of the baby in the closet...and his new wife. It is killer to see Mike Tyson in a terrific cameo that isn't complete self parody, and the ending credit sequence where we get to see a montage of pictures that captures the night before is the single funniest stretch in the entire film.
"The Hangover
So what doesn't work?
Well, Galifianakis does have his moments...but as easy as you fall in love with him...you just as easily want him to go away. Some of the plot turns the film takes (the naked asian crime lord, the part where they actually find Doug, the fact that they were all drugged) all feel sort of forced and fall flat.
Todd Philips clearly understands comedy (hell, he even makes a short cameo as an afroed sexhound in an elevator), and The Hangover is easily his best attempt at comedy nirvana thus far. The film does lack in certain areas but it doesn't take away from the experience as a whole.
I recommend The Hangover to those who haven't seen it...but with a warning...keep your expectations for a classic in check...and you will enjoy your time at the movies with 3 guys who just can't handle Vegas.
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