Some guys just can't handle Vegas.
This is a pretty funny film, with a good lot of laughs. It has a clever structure which keeps the audience guessing as new evidence emerges to fill in the missing pieces in the puzzle of what happened the night before. The stakes propelling the characters forward into further action are compelling: to locate their missing friend.
I was reminded of a couple of other black comedies set, or partly set, in Las Vegas, and with similar storylines: "Very Bad Things" (lent to me by a colleague) and the middle section of "Go". Better than the first, worse than the second.
I can't see myself wanting to watch this film again. The characters are rather stereotyped, and generally unpleasant. At the outset, the thought of spending time with such characters in Vegas did not appeal, so I was pleasantly surprised by the fun to be had along the way, especially in the first half. The second half was less convincing, with the camp Oriental gangster and the cameo by a celebrity sports personality. Quite a few of the jokes do fall flat, but there are so many that a lot also hit home.
It's a blokey movie. Women get pretty short shrift and their characters are very 2D: the two main female characters are a nasty shrieking shrewish narrow-minded fiancee and a tart with a heart (rather a waste of the luminescent Heather Graham!).
It didn't seem to be ABOUT much. The only story arc of personal change was that of the dentist, and that is so banal.
The best thing about it was the way the script played with the audience's expectations, with frequent unexpected twists and turns in the story, which did work very well for most of the film. I guess that's down to a good script, good direction and good performances. And that is exactly what Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com said too: "The raucous, raunchy laughs are indeed plentiful and the gags often outrageous, but what really drives the film is the unpredictability of the script." Roger Ebert loved it though: "Now this is what I'm talkin' about. The Hangover is a funny movie, flat out, all the way through. Its setup is funny. Every situation is funny."
- Rating: High matinee
- When seen: 25 Sep 2010
- Where seen: Home
- More information: IMDB | RottenTomatoes | Wikipedia
Amendments: Added writer tags: "Jon Lucas, Scott Moore"; actor tags: "Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, Jeffrey Tambor". Removed link to Wikipedia-sourced image. Added ranking image.
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