As The Hangover begins, we find Phil (Bradley Cooper) on the phone telling Tracy (Sasha Barrese) that things got a little out of hand at the bachelor party and they lost her fiance, Doug (Justin Bartha). All I can say is that it must have been one heck of a night. The remaining party goers, Allen (Zach Galifianakis) and Stu (Ed Helms) stand in the background, none of them looking all that good under the bright sun of the desert outside of Las Vegas. Then we cut to three days earlier.
They get to Vegas and begin their celebrations. Following a couple of shots of Jager, we transition to the following morning. They awaken in their hotel room, which has been trashed, to find a burned and smoking couch, a chicken, a missing mattress, and a tiger in the bathroom. On top of that, none of them have any memory of what transpired the night before and Doug is nowhere to be found.Oh yeah, there is also a baby in the closet.
Off they go, gathering clues from the room, an ER doctor, Mike Tyson' security tapes, and a wedding chapel. The clues lead them on an adventure all over Vegas. They have a close encounter with Tyson, meet an angry Chinese guy (discovered in their trunk), and they even get to meet Stu's new stripper, uh, escort wife, Jade (Heather Graham). Each stop bringing more laughs than the one prior
In the wrong hands this movie could have been an utter disaster. The funny thing is, who thought these hands were the right hands? Director Todd Phillips does not have a great track record. I mean, I was not that crazy about earlier outings like Old School or School for Scoundrels, neither of which indicated what he pulled off here. Likewise, the writing team of Jon Lucas and Scott Moore had not shown anything like this with credits such as Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past and Four Christmases.
The Hangover could just as easily become a series of SNL or MadTV type sketches, which only exist to get to the next scene. Rather than taking the easy route, we get a script that is written rather than pieced together from the leftover of other films. It grows and develops as we move along. The plot develops organically, much like the comedy which is brought about by the situation, rather than being forced in. This is a seriously funny movie, something I was hoping for but not expecting.
As good as the leads are, the supporting players are just as good. We cannot go without mentioning Mike Tyson. The man is funny! I cannot make any claim of being a fan, but he is perfect for this. Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow is very funny, he is not a guy you want to mess with! Heather Graham steps into the stripper role and comes across as quite likable in a role that could have been cliche. Funny all the way around.
Bottomline. This was considerably funnier than I was expecting. Simply put, this is the funniest film I have seen in some time. It is finely crafted, well performed, and closes with the perfect ending. If you want to laugh, this is the movie for you. Plus, any movie that begins with a Danzig song has got to be good.
Highly Recommended.