Or How the lads got away with it

Rating: 7/10 (21 July 2009)

If belly laughs are what you are after there are plenty of them in this film. The plot is simple. Four lads go to Vegas for a stag night. The following morning their room is a mess and the groom is missing. And they have no memory of the night before. They have to retrace their steps to find the groom before the wedding the following day. That sounds like a routine "Gross Out" comedy, which in many ways it is. Most of the characters are straight out of clichés, the hen pecked nerd, the married guy who wants to cut loose for once and the groom who wants to have a good time but not overdo things so soon before the wedding. There are some very funny scenes and unexpected plot twists to keep your attention.
Undoubtedly for me the highlight of the performance of Zach Galifianakis as the brother-in-law to be. He is subtle and very funny as the unclichéd and downright weird Alan. He also gets the best conversation stopping one-liners.
I'd recommend this to a mainly male audience. The female characters aren't developed at all and are there only to move the plot along. An alternative title might be "How the lads got away with acting the eejit in Vegas". A shocking waste of the lovely Heather Graham unfortunately. So it's not Shakespeare but I laughed a lot.