What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, or so the saying goes, but as the lads in this flick find out there are plenty of tears, missing persons, and other random inexplicable events that come with a night of extreme debauchery. If only they could remember it all. The Hangover is rude, crude, and oh so wrong, that’s what makes it bloody brilliant.
It’s Doug Billings’ (Justin Bartha ) stag night so his best buds, teacher Phil (more juvenile than any of his students ), Stu Price played by Ed Helms (a dentist who is absolutely whipped by his over-controlling girlfriend ), and soon-to-be brother-in-law Alan Garner played by Zach Galifianakis (a weirdo who although very clever has problems with normal social/human interaction skills ) head to Las Vegas. They arrive in their luxurious ‘pimped-out’ suite and knock down shots to really get the night going.
The next morning they wake. The faces on these lads can only be described as rrrrrr-ough. They have no memory and the suite is a shambles. A zombie-like Alan enters the bathroom and is scared out of his wits by a tiger, yes a tiger. Stu is missing a tooth, there’s a unidentified baby in a cupboard, and Phil is wearing a hospital wrist band. It takes a few minutes before they realise that they’re also missing the groom.
While trying to piece together the events of the night before they discover that their gorgeous vintage car has been replaced by a cop car, they were slipped roofies (aka date-rape drug ), there was a marriage to a stripper, an encounter with Chinese mafia-types, and the tiger is Mick Tyson’s beloved pet. What a night!
The film turns into a race against time, against criminals, and against the law, to get the groom back in time for the wedding. There’s non-stop laughter throughout the film with some really classic scenes. Mick Tyson’s cameo appearance is just one of them; we find him singing badly to Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight (you know, the Cadbury gorilla song ), beating his fists with the drum beats before deftly knocking Alan out! Fortunately any damage done wouldn’t be noticeable in Alan’s case.
If there’s one film that I will completely insist you see then it’s The Hangover. Leave the morals at home, forget about good taste, and get ready for what’s probably the best comedy of the year. If you don’t go to see this then you’re just plain crazy.
Verdict 5/5
