The Hangover (Film Review)

Jun 1, 2013
Some guys just can't handle Vegas










The Todd Phillips' directed hit comedy The Hangover happens to be one of the best comedies ever made. It's fairly executed, well-acted and written brilliantly. Neither do even expect that it'll spawn into a trilogy of misadventures. And with the latest installment of the saga, The Hangover Part III, currently entertaining its way on opening weekend, here is my review of The Hangover.

The film follows four friends going on a trip to Vegas for a bachelor party turned disaster. When a sudden short drink becomes an unexpected mayhem, all hell breaks loose and a night they cannot remember began. The day after, Allan, Phil and Stu found themselves in a hangover with sudden questions running towards them: Why is there a baby in the closet? How does the tiger ended up in the bathroom? Why is Stu missing a tooth? And most importantly "Where is Doug?". Together, they re-trace the forgotten events of mischief that might lead them to find the groom-to-be Doug and save the wedding.

The Hangover easily come into a surprise, being one of the most original comedies ever made and one of the most entertaining movies of 2009. What made the movie original is its "caper" approach on its plot that made the audiences sucked in to the mystery these three guys come into. It's directed very well. Also surprising that it is directed by 'Old School' and 'Starsky and Hutch' helmer Todd Phillips. This movie rehashed his name in the business, making him one of the biggest filmmakers in the comedy genre next to Apatow. 

The movie has some problems at side, but let me talk about the performances for a second. Zack Galifianakis made himself a title in Hollywood and becoming one of my favorite comedians today. His catch on his performance of a bubbly, retarded-ish Allan steals the show in scenes he's been at that was fun to look at (which pretty much became overused with the other Phillips' movie 'Due Date'). Bradley Cooper is as always made a great performance as Phil. Ed Helms also steals the show in scenes he's in at as Stu. Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow can be sometimes annoying but he definitely knows how to make everyone laugh their butts out. 

Despite having great performance by its cast, the movie sometimes made it feel like B movie. It got its problems at times, like some of the dialogues was getting overused and lack of focus on its few characters. But it's not a big deal since this was made for laughs. I remember catching this in cinemas last 2009 and the theater was crowded. Every single scene in the movie got a lot of cheers and laughs especially the slideshow in the end credits and the first sighting of Chow butt-naked. Definitely is a fun time at the movies, but of course with every praise-worthy needs a sequel. Two years later, The Hangover Part II came and had its moments but it's not a great movie compared to this film. 

'The Hangover' is easily the funniest, crudest, greatest comedies of its time. It's notable performances and well-written script made the film come into a surprise, making it a classic on its name.

The geek rates it 8.4/10. I'll be back for my review of Jurassic Park 3D and The Hangover Part III.

In the meantime, why not check this clip from 'The Hangover':

Geek out by following The Film Geek Guy:

Facebook: The FILM GEEK GUY
Twitter: @matthew_escosia
Instagram: matthewescosia

Comments

Related Posts

{{posts[0].title}}

{{posts[0].date}} {{posts[0].commentsNum}} {{messages_comments}}

{{posts[1].title}}

{{posts[1].date}} {{posts[1].commentsNum}} {{messages_comments}}

{{posts[2].title}}

{{posts[2].date}} {{posts[2].commentsNum}} {{messages_comments}}

{{posts[3].title}}

{{posts[3].date}} {{posts[3].commentsNum}} {{messages_comments}}