Movie Review: The Hangover

When I first saw the previews for The Hangover, I thought it looked atrocious.  I had no interest in seeing it, and had passed it off as another stupid comedy that I would be skipping.  As the weeks passed leading up to the movie's premiere, I had been hearing increasingly solid press about it, and my interest began to pique.  Once people I know saw the movie, all of whom praised its glory, I decided I needed to see The Hangover.

I went in with decently high expectations, especially after hearing the comparisons to Superbad, the gold standard of modern day comedies.  After 22 minutes of previews, the movie finally began.  The opening scene was interesting, showing the characters in the middle of the action instead of progressing through the action naturally.  I'll admit it, I was intrigued.  I don't want to give away too much of the movie, so I'll hit on some key points about the rest.

Zack Galafinakis was funny as Alan (the fat brother-in-law), and it was good to see that his character took on a little bit different development than the traditional funny fat guys.  However, he came up a little bit short in his humor, and wasn't quite able to carry much of the movie on his own.

Ed Helms (Stu) really stretched his range from the lovable Andy Bernard on The Office to...playing Andy Bernard's twin brother named Stu Price.  Literally, the exact same character as he plays on The Office.  I could almost hear him say, "That was an over-re-ac-tion."  Had some funny moments, but his character was very predictable.

Bradley Cooper (Phil) played the typical douche bag friend.  Didn't add all that much to the movie, but definitely was necessary to keep things moving.  I'm guessing the girls will enjoy the shirtless scene.

Heather Graham's boobs still look fantastic...but on the other hand there was way too much dick in this movie, which has become a disturbing trend in comedies recently.

All in all, the movie was very funny.  I laughed throughout, and enjoyed the story.  There were a few classic moments, especially with the baby and the gay Asian guy, played by Ken Jeong (Knocked Up neo-natal doctor).  To me, he completely carried the movie when he was in it, and I found myself laughing hysterically every time he was on the screen.  I also enjoyed Mike Tyson's cameo, and enjoyed the way he made fun of himself.

Compared to Superbad, The Hangover really wasn't close, even though I did enjoy it.  There's simply not enough classic moments, not enough laughs, and it won't retain much quotability to land it in the upper echelon of comedies.  I would recommend seeing it, as it will definitely entertain you for 100 minutes and keep you laughing throughout.

Grade:  B+/B

- Kaps

Song of the Day:  Clipse - Grindin