Imagine walking up, trousers round your ankles, tooth missing, tiger in the bathroom, baby in the closet, hospital bracelet on your wrist and a stolen police car in the garage…oh and where is the groom?
They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. This is certainly true when you wake up with a migraine and the lack of memory over the previous nights events. This is the case for four lads on a bachelor party they will not be forgetting, for the lack of forgetting.
Viewers are taken on a roller coaster of a ride as they follow the groom party on a mission to remember what happened the night before and where they could have lost the main man. The Hangover is the type of movie you know has been depicted from events that have happened to some poor soul (probably more than one) in the past. Wild night in Vegas, someone gets married, someone loses a tooth and the police have to get involved eventually.
As far as comedy is concerned, there are bucketfuls, like marrying a stripper, kidnapping the head of a Chinese gang and then there is the vision of Mike Tyson singing while looking for a stolen beloved pet. There is also some action with the groomsmen attacked by armed gangsters for casino chips.
The actors have been brilliant in making you believe they are actually in the situation rather than acting out a script. You don’t get to see much of Justin Bartha as Doug with the being missing and all, but you have Bradley Cooper as Phil, the married and confident schoolteacher, but when out of the building he is a party man on a mission to make his best friend have the time of his life at his bachelor party. Ed Helms as Stu is the boring dentist that calls himself a “doctor” who puts up with a woman that orders him around like a dog, but after a few drinks becomes a fun loving, “go for it” kind of fella. Lastly there is Zach Galifianakis as Alan, the funniest of characters. He is the strange soon to be brother-in-law that cannot be taken seriously or trusted,, mainly due to his looks, behavior and persona. These four characters have such different personalities and watching them combine their efforts is hilariously funny.
If this is not enough to be content with, the DVD has extra content including a gag reel to have you in stitches and a Map of Destruction where you can re-trace the antics of the night before. This is by all means one of the best comedies around.
Michelle Moore