MOVIE
REVIEW
The Hangover
Before Doug
disappears: Zach Galifianakis (in t-shirt), Justin Bartha (as Doug, in white
shirt), Bradley Cooper (in black shirt), and Ed Helms (in glasses) in "The
Hangover", directed by
Todd Phillips. (Photo: Warner Brothers)
They've Gotta Get Out Of This Place, If It's The Last Thing . . . (But Where On
Earth Is Doug?)
By
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
SHARE
Friday, June 5, 2009
Todd Phillips' film "The Hangover" succeeds not because it is a great story but
because its actors and its visual style both contain the energy and sense of
adventure to make it a winning comedy caper combining juvenile behavior with
nods to several lovable films. As a consequence you end up loving the
absurdity and randomness of the film, which harkens back to movies like "Pulp
Fiction", "Rain Man", "Casino", "Three Men And A Baby", "Sideways" and even last
year's pathetic
Vegas adventure starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, among
others.
Written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, "The Hangover" is smart, fresh and filled with funny
one-liners throughout.
Four men in their late-thirties head to Las Vegas to purge themselves of
whatever virtue they have left and enjoy a 48-hour-Sin City bachelor-like
vacation full of debauchery and misadventure before one of them is to be
married. The problem is that none of them can remember what on earth
happened during their time in Vegas, hence the line "whatever happens in Vegas .
. . ". Mired in Sin's Dustbowl they try to piece together the events of
one wacky night and find it impossible. They do remember that one of their
friends has gone missing however, and the film spends much time chronicling the
search for Doug (Justin Bartha) who just happens to be getting married in Los
Angeles within a few hours. Can the trio of friends (Phil, Stu and Alan)
find Doug and get him to the church on time? "The Hangover",
which doesn't have to be coherent all the time as its title implies, turns into a
mystery and maintains an audience's interest because it ceases to be
static, instead becoming more alive and outrageous at every turn. Some of
the film's situations are so bizarre, ridiculous and insane that you can only
gasp in disbelief or jaw-dropping amazement -- and riotous laughter.
The male buddy comedy romp in American films has become stale over the last few
years, and even though Hollywood has paraded many a movie of this ilk ("American
Pie", "Superbad", "Forgetting Sarah Marshall",
"Pineapple Express"), "The
Hangover" bursts the bubble and stands alone because it is more intimate and
tightly structured, full of wild and unpredictable events, memorable characters
and doesn't try to be anything it is not. Pretension is stripped away and
the spirit of "Animal House" and other free-wheeling, uninhibited comedies of
the past return. Rarely is a misstep made here, and even when "The
Hangover" is in danger of running out of gas or sense, you can count on one of
its talented actors involved to do or say something that snaps the film back
into overdrive. It's a road movie, a series of accidents, speed bumps, and
an illustration that life offers us some of the craziest scenarios and weirdest
people, especially as you get older. I personally can tell you about some
of the weirdest human beings that I've ever known or come across -- and Los
Angeles or Las Vegas aren't the cities where I've met them -- but could I conjure up something
like "The Hangover" and make it both appealing and entertaining despite its
incorrectness and incredulity? Maybe, maybe not.
"The Hangover", which opened across the U.S. and Canada today, has its
assortment of stereotypical behaviors and caricatures, but unlike other films
they are strategically placed and not merely displayed for your gawking pleasure
(or displeasure). Each behavior is used to advance the plot or display red
herrings that enhance the bizarre or buttress the elements of disbelief and
haziness of memory justifying the film's title. Simplicity works, and Mr.
Phillips adheres. Some of the stereotypes -- the nagging wench of a wife,
the racial caricatures of menace or lack thereof are well-worn if not mildly
offensive -- don't work as well yet they again manage
to fit within the context of the zany, foolish and scandalous entertainment that
the film exhibits. There are cameos (if you've seen "The Hangover" trailer
then you know whom to expect) that make the film even more wild and wicked.
Its humor doesn't stop, even during the end credits, which are almost as funny
as the nearly-two hours that have preceded them.
With: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese,
Jeffrey Tambor, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Mike Epps, Jernard Burks, Rob Riggle
and Cleo King.
"The Hangover" is rated R by the Motion Picture Association Of America for
pervasive language, sexual content including nudity, and some drug material.
The film's running time is one hour and 45 minutes. Watch those end
credits!
Copyright The Popcorn Reel. PopcornReel.com. 2009. All Rights
Reserved.
SHARE