The Hangover is a sloppy, unfunny mess from start to finish. The laughs are few and far between and this must be the most overrated comedy I’ve seen all year. A massive hit that struck a chord with moviegoers, its appeal escapes me. Some unlikable guys go to Vegas for a bachleor party and everything goes wrong. The groom goes missing and his trio of morons attempt to find him while piecing together what happened the night before. The end credit scene is the only really worthwhile scene in the flick, aside from Mike Tyson’s amusing cameo where he comes out prancing and singing along to Phil Collins. Even his subplot (involving his missing tiger winding up in the hotel room of the guys), goes on too long. There’s a bunch of savagely unfunny pedophile jokes and a lisping Asian guy who thinks he’s a gangster and has some of the most painful scenes in years. Women aren’t off the hook either. Besides the stripper with a heart of gold (played with zero energy or comic timing by Heather Graham) the other women are spoiled brats or shrews.
After about 60 minutes or so of this mess I wondered aloud how this could be considered the funniest movie of the year. I’ve seen better gags in American Pie: Band Camp. Some of this is a personal preference I think. I prefer teen sex comedies (Sex Drive, Harold and Kumar, American Pie, etc) where the protagonists are no older than in their early twenties, there’s something that just seems pathetic and desperate about 30-40 year olds acting like homophobic macho teens. That could be a reason I am so averse to most of the Judd Apatow comedies, which feel overlong and tiresome. It’s hard to believe Apatow created Freaks and Geeks, one of the most insightful network shows of all time. Of the male leads, only Bradley Cooper makes an impression, if only because he’s photogenic and smarmy, a less amusing Joel McHale from The Soup. Two qualities that are sure to get him far in Hollywood for the next few years. He’s up next in the massive A-Team movie, which better be a lot more fun than The Hangover.
Movie Grade: C-
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Circus80
Dec 3, 2009 -
Another movie I almost saw when it was out. Same as Terminator 4, I’ll wait to see it on cable.
Frain
Dec 3, 2009 -
GREAT review CCF! I could not have said it better myself…….what the heck were those dumb critics thinking anyway???? I think a C- was being too kind!
John Kaufman
Dec 3, 2009 -
Great review. I find these overage, overgrown “teen comedies” to not only be unfunny but depressing.
This is why I still watch the films of Woody Allen. At least, there is some degree of actual inrtligence.
I feel that films like Hangover, with thier stale, high school jock non sense of humor, to be unfortunate remnants of the Bush era midset.
Magnus782
Dec 6, 2009 -
”Photogenic and smarmy,” great description of the one-note sneering Bradley Cooper.