The Movie Press
  • Movie Reviews
  • Twitter News/Updates
  • News & Notes
  • DVD
  • Box Office Results
  • Contact
  • About Us

What happens in Vegas...oh, fuck it.

6/3/2009

0 Comments

 
Picture

The Hangover strives to bring that old cliche to new heights, but when you're working off a cliche, your movie tends to become one as well.

The flick is basically a more profane and less bizarre version of Dude, Where's My Car. Three friends (Justin Bartha, Ed Helms and the sexy Bradley Cooper) and one possibly retarded future bro in-law (Zach Galifianakis) head out to Vegas for one wild and crazy bachelor party. Cut from scene of first drinks to morning after, the dudes discover they've misplaced the groom and try to piece together the events of the night to find their friend.

With a flick from the dude who brought you Old School, you walk into The Hangover expecting a film that's heavy on dude-broing, wackiness and profanity. You're not going to be disappointed, but you're not going to be completely elated either.

As the groom, Bartha is a complete throwaway, and he leaves Cooper to play the almost-straight man in the midst of Helms' shrieking hysteria and Galifianakis' disgusting, screw looseness, and Cooper does it with gusto. He's the charmer of the group, stealing from his junior high students, ditching his dreaded wife and baby, and basically oozing charm. Helms takes his Office character up an annoying notch (and a couple of voice decibels), and Galifianakis tries his hardest to emulate Will Ferrell in Old School--for the most part he succeeds.

The Hangover, while funny, isn't completely gut-bustingly so. When it hits, it hits hard--namely with Ken Jeong stealing the show as a gay Asian gangster wielding a crowbar and no undies.  Okay, fine, maybe his character is offensive to gays and Asian and the gaysians, but just as he did in Role Models, Jeong commits to his character with panache.

Another highlight includes (the way too featured in the trailers) scenes involving Mike Tyson, Phil Collins and a tiger. Although I had seen the trailer tons of times, it still made me giggle pretty profusely. 

But when it doesn't hit...the film flails. The plot is slightly slow-moving for me, and the conclusion doesn't quite live up to the wacky shenanigans of the whole film. Also, the women in The Hangover seem little more than props and stereotypes--there's the hooker with a heart of gold, the shrill, cheating girlfriend and then the blank bride-to-be.

Don't go into The Hangover expecting a Wedding Crashers or even an Old School. It's not a laugh a minute type of movie, but you can expect an Apatow-level of bro camaraderie. The chemistry between Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis is perhaps unrivaled this summer so far, and it makes the film not only watchable but enjoyable as well. It may not have been the wildest of nights, but this is one fairly gnarly Hangover you won't mind waking up to.

--Darcie Duttweiler


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    October 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008

    Categories

    All
    Austin Film Festival
    Darcie Duttweiler Reviews
    Derrick Mitcham Reviews
    Eric Harrelson Reviews
    Eric Pulsifer Reviews
    Eric Pulsifer Reviews
    Fantastic Fest
    Greg Maclennan Reviews
    Greg Wilson Reviews
    Jessica Hixson Reviews
    Mark Collins Reviews
    Monte Monreal Reviews
    Reviews
    Rob Heidrick Reviews
    Rob Heidrick Reviews
    Sxsw

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.