When a movie is this well-reviewed and so popular there comes a time when you can no longer ignore it. That time came for us last Sunday evening.
Bradley Cooper (The Wedding Crashers), Ed Helms (The Office) and a very furry Zach Galifianakis (lots of TV comedy) star as three groomsmen who take groom-to-be Justin Bartha on a wild bachelor party road trip to Vegas and after a crazy night on the strip, end up somehow losing him. Their task is to piece together what happened because they can’t actually remember anything. They unearth clues in the form of receipts, a missing tooth and someone else’s car. As they trace their steps they’re surprised to discover that they lost their freakin’ minds and did things that they would deeply regret if only they could recall them!
Unlike the Superbads of the film world, The Hangover relies on its writing and performances for laughs, not just the electric shocks of sudden gross-out moments. Cooper’s character is essentially an a-hole – a married Dad who doesn’t realize he really cherishes what he’s got until he’s forced to. Helms is about to become engaged to the biggest bitch I think I’ve ever seen on screen or in life and he’s apparently oblivious to the fact that she figuratively keeps his testicles in a jar. Ga-alphabet is an off-centre brother to the bride-to-be and is therefore brought along mostly out of politeness. He unwittingly reveals little tidbits about himself that show a complex, weird, basement dwelling type of personality who can’t be trusted but is still kind of endearing, like a timid boy who was raised by wolves.
I don’t want to give much away but let’s just say that one of the guys realizes he got married on their blank-out night, and they all must try to figure out why a carload of bad guys keeps trying to kill them. Oh, and they have to return a stolen tiger and most importantly, find the groom alive and well. It’s a very funny flick and frankly, I’d go see it again tomorrow.