The Hangover DVD Review

The Hangover is one of the best comedy movies of the year and it released on DVD December 15th from Warner Home Video and Director Todd Phillips.  Nominated for a Golden Globe, the movie is set in Las Vegas and it tells the story of three groomsmen (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms of “The Office”, and Zach Galifianakis) who lose their about-to-be-wed friend (Doug Billings) during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.

The story begins when the four friends arrive at their Las Vegas hotel and splurge on a pinthouse room.  They share a drink on the rooftop and plan their evening.  The movie then fast forwards to the next morning.  We see the three groomsmen sprawled about their room, which is trashed.  There is a chicken wandering aimlessly and a tiger in one of the bedrooms.  The topper is a crying baby tucked away in a corner.

After trying to gather themselves, the three friends soon realize the groom is missing.  They search about their room and can’t find him, so they go to breakfast and begin to try to rememer what happened the night night before.  Their journey back in time includes driving a stolen police car, learning that Stu (Helms) was married to a stripper (Heather Graham); thus the baby, being pursued by gangsters who say they owe them $80,000, running into an angry Mike Tyson who wants his tiger back, and much more.

The Hangover is one of the best comedy movies in a long time.  It is not unlike other comedies that tie together sequences of challenging events blended with crude humor.  The difference is that The Hangover does it much better.  Director Todd Phillips and the talented ensemble cast make this story work and deliver plenty of non-stop laughs.

The Hangover is one of those movies that you hope does not end it is so funny.  The brilliance of the film is the way in which the story starts at the morning after and the friends have no idea what happened the night before.  Every new piece of the story they uncover is shocking to them and funny for the audience.  Cooper, Helms, and Galifianakis have great chemistry together as the three featured performers in the film.  Billings is fine, though his role (as the groom ironically) is minor.

While it is a bit of an immature comedy, The Hangover is more cleverly written and delivered than many other comedies in the same vein.  If you are open to laughs and like movies that are full of humorous surprises, this is the movie for you.  Rated R, it is not for young kids.  There is also an Unrated version of the film available.

MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 100 Minutes
DVD Release Date: December 15, 2009

Grade: A

Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Ed Helms, Heather Graham, Doug Billings

DVD Review by Neil of Movie Room Reviews

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