The Hangover

Sometimes, my expectations are raised far higher than I ever thought possible. When going into The Hangover, I was worried about two things. One: that this would turn out like director Todd Phillips film Old School, a massively overrated comedy. Two: that The Hangover would follow too formulaic a story; i.e. by showing too much of the bachelor party and not focusing on the hangover/piecing-everything-together aspect. But Todd Phillips has surprised me. He didn't make that formulaic movie in The Hangover, he instead did exactly what I wanted but assumed I wouldn't get. The story, which follows three guys trying to find their friend (and soon to be groom) after a wild and crazy night in Las Vegas. The night is pieced together over the course of the film, and the quality of the humor in describing the events that took place in a drunken haze are pitch perfect. And to find that the final two-thirds of the film maintained the humor and not break down into too dense a romantic comedy storyline (I'm looking at you Apatow movies and Wedding Crashers). The cast was on the top of their game, the most buzz worthy of them being Zach Galifianakis, who played one of the best "idiots" put to screen in a long time. But credit really lies with screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. There were a number of paths they could have taken for a film like this, and most would have not been nearly as funny, yet they chose, in my esteemed opinion, the correct route. Multiple viewings and years later, I believe The Hangover will be just as hilarious.

Genre - Comedy (3.75)

Screenplay (4)
Acting (4)
Production (3)
Directing (4)