Side Splittingly Funny

Rating: 9/10 (19 August 2018)

"The Hangover" (2009) is a professionally produced comedy about three friends, Phil played by Bradley Cooper, Stu played by Ed Helms, and Alan played by Zach Galifianakis, that wake up with no memories of a bachelor party the night before in Las Vegas. During their eventful enlightenment they search for their missing bachelor friend, Doug played by Justin Bartha, in order to get him safely back to his scheduled wedding. This film is hysterical in every right. It made my laugh from beginning to end with it's over the top antics and comical twists. It reminded me of similar life experience, though not as extreme, still very funny and nostalgia inducing. The writing and dialogue are both very well put together, though different backgrounds effect dialogue, but it's the story that is actually magical.
Even though this film is a comedy and the acting is executed superbly in its extremeness, the story is about having your buddy's back. I sincerely enjoyed how the director, Todd Phillips, allowed the comedy to flow without abandoning the message. The whole film is about trying to figure out what happened the night before, but it is all in an effort to locate and save Doug. Through the comedy, the director still provides a sense of identifiability to the audience in caring for a friend. Overall, this is a top-notch comedy that I would recommend to everyone that has friends they would bend over backwards for.