A one - note comedy... a flawless one.

Rating: 8/10 (2 August 2009)

Where to begin? Guess I could start with the evolution of raunchy, R - rated yet smart high-concept comedies where three - dimensional key characters must deal with over - blown situations and charicatured characters in modern - day America, learning lessons in life in the end. These include such modern classics as American Pie, There's something about Mary and about a dozen examples by Judd Apatow and co. in the last five years. However, this would be just tooting my own horn, and since most of you have seen those movies, who gives a rat's a$$?
So, here we have the latest inclusion: a comedy about three guys waking up in a terrible hangover in Vegas, only to realize they have lost the groom along with their memory in a barchelor party gone way out of the map, and that they have only about 48 hours to find him and get to the wedding. Directed by Todd Phillips, who also gave us "Road trip" (and which I've always considered superior to "American pie" for the sake that "RT" is just more laid-back).
Unlike for example most of Apatow's comedies, "The Hangover" is not "smarter" than what the premise lets you in on. You can't break it down to analyze it, because it's just what the one - line description says. I guess the film-makers considered two choices: re-write it and force it into the successful "Apatow" mold, or play it out like it is: like an "eighties" comedy. They did the latter, and with that, the right choice.
The Hangover's biggest assets are that it's been crafted to the hilt on all distinctive areas: - The characters. When you meet them at first, you go like "ok, so they are not clear caricatures, but how could these guys ever be friends?". But, along the movie, you grow into accepting them, with their pros and cons. You get to recognize their roles and how they "complete a full circle" without it being too obvious from the get-go. Huge plus.

The dialogue. Well, the usual Kevin Smith/Judd Apatow - stuff. Kind of like "Friends" but with F - words and pop culture references. Good stuff, though.

Plot. The whole thing plays out like a good mystery and gives a 100 minutes of laughs without missing one beat, losing pace or losing focus (basically this is what "Dude, where's my car", SHOULD have been). Let's just repeat the thing that really struck me in "The Hangover": there are no lulls. This, I consider a defining strength: when one clue has been solved, it moves straight into the next one. The "ok...what now?" - bits have been surgically removed. Also, you will NOT check your watch when the film moves from the second act to the third. Now THIS is rare.

Gotta hand it also to Phillips (whose best movie so far) and to the cast - along with castING. Bold having this many new names in key roles.
8 out of 10 stars. Hope they won't ruin this with the already green-lit sequel.