Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Hangover - 3 out of 4 Stars

Who Would Love This Movie: folks who loved the boys club movies like Old School and the sometimes juvenile jokes of movies like Superbad

Best Mood to Walk In With: In a "Bro" mood

Don't See This Movie If: You don't like movies about raucous male bonding


I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. If you're ok with vulgar but funny boy time, this is what you want to see. Although it is not quite on par with movies like Old School and probably won't be as much of a cult classic as Zoolander, The Hangover definitely delivers what it promises: a crazy, funny, hungover game of "what happened last night?" Think Dude, Where's My Car? with a more elevated sense of humor.

The four main guy roles could not have been better cast. Bradley Cooper was amusing as the best man Phil, and Justin Bartha was a great fit for the groom. However, it was Ed Helms as groomsman Stu and Zach Galifianakis as the soon-to-be brother-in-law who made the movie. Specifically, Galifianakis delievered on the hilarious awkward moments, proving his ability to captivate on the big screen. However, the four of them (sometimes three of them) together had perfect timing and delivery of joke after joke after joke.

Granted, the plot was a simple one. But sometimes comedies fail trying to be overly ambitious and so I preferred the simple storyline. If you've seen the preview, what you saw is what you get. However, The Hangover is not one of those movies where you've already seen all the funny bits in the commercials. Cameos by stars like Heather Graham, Mike Tyson, and Ken Jeong (the doctor in Knocked up and the "King" in Role Models) add to the silliness of the movie.

Keep Your Eyes Closed For: multiple scenes featuring Zach Galifianakis's butt
Keep Your Eyes Open For: The hilarious (and vulgar) snapshots during the credits

All in all, this movie will please most of the 20ish male audience it is looking for. Before you go, watch the trailer, since it is so accurate. If you think it is funny, you will like The Hangover. If you think it looks immature, go see Up which will please a broader audience.

1 comment: