The Hangover

Hangover?  It’s Not That Bad!

The Hangover is a wonderful comic masterpiece starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha.

The film follows three groomsmen and their about to be wed friend on a trip to Las Vegas.  The four men are out having a good time in Caesars Palace and we see them downing a drink before we see the aftermath.  It is a storyline with great potential. 

The three groomsmen lose their about to be wed friend on a drunken night out and when they waken the following day they fail to remember what happened the night before, it may sound a bit familiar, minus two people and a wedding and its “Dude Where’s My Car” all over again. 

Zach Galifianakis who plays Alan is without doubt my favourite thing about the film, he portrays Alan so well, his silly antics and stupidity make me laugh just at the thought of him, his lack of hygiene, fashion sense, brains, and his beard builds quite an interesting image.  Alan is a character who would comfortably fit in any comedy film.

I quite like the story of the film, it lets you know from the start that they are trying to find their friend in order to get him home for his wedding so you are interested to watch and see if they find him.  They cannot remember a thing and so are piecing together what they done looking for clues which provides an audience interaction as you wonder where they went from then or what must have happened, and of course each piece along the way has its funny twists and turns which makes for excellent viewing.

I think that had Alan not been in this film that it may not have been as memorable, still funny, but just not memorable.  Each of the characters has funny moments but it is too reliant upon Alan being stupid to create laughter.

If you are looking for a film complicated and not so predictable this isn’t the film for you, but if you are then why consider a comedy?  The simple nature of this film is great, I like it, however, you can predict roughly what is going to happen next, though the odd surprise is in there, and so is a naked Chinese man, if you would believe!

Doug Billings is about to marry his fiancé when he goes on a trip to Vegas with his two pals and his fiancés brother, the three groomsmen.  Stu Price and Phil Wenneck play Doug’s friends and Alan Garner is Doug’s brother-in-law-to-be.  Doug gets lost during the film and is missing for most of it though I feel that Justin Bartha plays the part well and realistically if that is possible in this film.

Stu Price is the dentist and the character who likes to play it safe, safe job, safe relationship, home, he is very mature and Phil, Alan and Doug try to get him to unwind.  Ed Helms plays this part well, he is funny at all the right times and his luck is unfortunate, he becomes wild when drunk and seems to be the wildest drunk.

Phil Wenneck is Doug’s best friend.  When sober this guy seems to be a party dude but on the other hand quite clever.  When drunk he seems to fade and as a character he makes a few laughs but his main role in the film is setting up jokes for other characters.  Bradley Cooper is needed in this film he is a vital part of the quartet, he creates a few laughs and sets up a few, and he also takes the role very seriously.

Alan Garner is Doug’s brother-in-law-to-be and provides a lot of laughs and is vital to this comic masterpiece.  He plays a big part in the story line and is as funny sober as he is drunk.  His utter stupidity provides a lot of laughs; Zach Galifianakis plays this part better than anyone else could, what a memorable performance.

The Hangover is a must see film for any comedy lovers.  It has all the ingredients, a ridiculously stupid looking stupid man, a mature highly reputable man in silly situations, and a groom gone missing.  This film takes the “Dude Where’s My Car” plot to a whole new level with hilarious twists in what is already a funny film this comedy has it all.