The Hangover

It's a concept so simple I'm amazed no one has ever done it before; three guys take their groom-to-be friend to Vegas, spend a wild night on the Strip, and wake up the next morning unable to remember a single thing.  But while it may sound simple, the story line is complex and well thought out, constantly surprising the audience.  Over the past 30 years, comedies have gradually developed more intricate story lines while still maintaining the humor.

100 minutes, Rated R. 

     The Hangover is witty and remarkably engaging, each character bringing a different element to the film.  Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) wake up in a trashed hotel room with no recollection of the night before; there's a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the kitchen, and Doug (Justin Bartha), the groom, has gone missing.  They're an unlikely mix- a handsome schoolteacher,an uptight dentist, and a mentally unstable loafer- and their developing relationships help the comedy flow from one situation to another.
     The Hangover is a very funny film. It takes the standard notion of a boys' night out and turns it into a part gag fest, part "what comes next" mystery. There is a darkness to director Ted Phillips take on the script.  The genuine sense of the danger that comes across about the nights events were clear, but it doesn't take away from the humor.  It does, however, make the eventual revelations about what happened all the more unexpected.
     Regardless, the movie truly belongs to longtime stand-up comedian, Galifianakis.  As Alan, Doug's soon-to-be-relative, this man purse carrying, socially awkward human being is so completely and utterly disconnected with reality.  When arriving at the hotel, Alan asks if its the real Caesars Palace, and then asks  if  the hotel is pager friendly. When finding a baby in their room, he tells the others to check its collar.  He steals the movie away from Cooper and Helms, who both did outstanding jobs.
     Yet the most important thing about the move is just how side-splitting it is.  Phillips piles on the jokes, never once letting us come up for air. It was easily one of the funniest movies of 2009.  A sequel to the film came out in 2011, and now there will even be a third Hangover set to come out in May of 2013.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Hangover-UNRATED-Bradley-Cooper/dp/B001UV4XEM

you can purchase the film here.