The Hangover (2009)

Directed by: Todd Phillips | 100 minutes | comedy | Actors: Bradley Cooper, Heather Graham, Mike Tyson, Jeffrey Tambor, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Justin Bartha, Ian Anthony Dale, Rachael Harris, Matt Walsh, Bryan Callen, Rob Riggle, Gillian Vigman, Sasha Barrese, Mitch Holleman Sondra Currie, James Martin Kelly, Casey Margolis, Andrew Astor, Nathalie Fay, Britt Barrett, Katerina Moutsatsou, Sammy Fine, Charlene Geisler, Heather Roop

Not being able to remember events from the past is often a source of inspiration for film and television makers. When the cause of this instant dementia lies in excessive alcohol consumption, this almost always leads to funny scenes and fragments. However: funny isn’t the right word for ‘The Hangover’, this movie is downright hilarious!

In the morning, Messrs. Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), Stu Price (Ed Helms) and Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) wake up hungover in their Las Vegas hotel room after organizing a bachelorette party for their friend and groom-to-be Doug ( Justin Bartha). The room is one big mess and after a few minutes they found out some things. There’s a tiger in the bathroom, there’s a baby in the closet, and most importantly, Doug is missing. So the common thread of the story is: what happened last night, where is Doug and will they be able to get him to his own wedding in LA in time?

Although the storyline is not very original and is reminiscent of a cross between ‘What Happens in Vegas’ (2008) and ‘Dude, Where’s my Car?’ (2000), this film is original in its execution. ‘The Hangover’ is so incredibly funny, that if you add the previous two films together, they still don’t make it to ‘The Hangover’. It is a succession of jokes and hilarious situations throughout the film. If in some films the frequency of the number of jokes sometimes has a negative relationship with the quality of the jokes, in this film that is not the case. In particular Alan, the crazy brother of the bride who isn’t really friends with the other gentlemen but does go to Vegas, every scene comes out very dry. His appearance alone often puts a smile on your face. Galifianakis also starred in ‘What Happens in Vegas’; apparently he couldn’t get enough of this city, which is a spectacle to behold on the silver screen.

The gentlemen all have a clear role in the film. Phil is the pretty boy (an extra reason for the ladies to see this movie), Stu is the nerd who is under his girlfriend’s thumb and Alan is the funny weirdo. The ending of the film is standard and predictable, but the plot of the film (where is Doug?) is quite surprising.

Director Todd Philips likes to make comedies about male friendships. ‘Road Trip’ (2000) and ‘Starsky & Hutch’ (2004) were very entertaining films, but ‘The Hangover’ is by far the funniest in this theme. Although he has already more than proven his talent for comedy as co-writer of ‘Borat’ (2006), many will be pleasantly surprised with ‘The Hangover’. Probably one of the funniest comedies of 2009.