Surprised By How Dull and Safe This Movie Was

Rating: 6/10 (17 February 2010)

I judge the quality of a film comedy by how much it makes me laugh. I think I laughed exactly twice during the entire running time of "The Hangover." I was a willing subject. I wanted to like this film after hearing the endless praise others have heaped on it. I sat waiting for the jokes to land. And waited. And waited.
I heard more than one person say that they never see movies, but they saw this one and loved it. That should have been my first warning that it wasn't going to be that good. It's jokes are so obvious and ordinary. There are a bunch of stock characters -- the fat schlubby guy, the nerdy uptight guy, the alpha male -- and a bevy of tired jokes built around things like breast feeding and naked guys.
I guess I missed the memo that straight males are supposed to find the sight of another guy's naked ass the most hilarious thing ever.
Grade: B-