Funny but not as hilarious as some would have you believe

Rating: Null/10 (24 November 2009)

I got to The Hangover after everyone else had already seen it, told me how brilliant it was, told me their favourite "bit" and told me to get around to going to see it. Having been burnt many times before though, I did not let this praise make me have any grand expectations and I came to it just hoping that it would be funny. And it was. I had some good laughs and plenty of chuckles throughout the film – enough to enjoy it right through from the setup to the pictures over the end credits. Whether I would be able to enjoy it for a second viewing though I'm not so sure.
The reason for this is that many of the laughs came from the sudden nature of the comedy – whether it be a sudden physical act or the unexpected nature of a line. It is a slightly childish type of comedy with lots of people getting hurt in funny ways and this only has so much of an appeal to me. Like the Oriental gambler says, "it's funny because he's fat" and that does rather sum up why some of the film is funny. This is not to take away from some of the very funny lines and scenarios that the film comes up with, but I still did think that the majority of my laughs would be dissipated if I had known what was coming (as I would with a second viewing). The flow of the story works a little bit against it as well. In some regards it has a good "mystery" structure to it but then again the central concept means that in too many scenes we have to listen to a character explain that they have no memory etc etc. Fortunately it is mostly funny enough to cover up this clunky repeated problem.
The cast really help the comedy by their delivery. Although he is not really that well known in the UK (The Office US not being a big show here) Helms was the standout for me. In a character with elements of his Andy in there, I found him very funny and with a great sense of timing. Galifianakis is pretty good as well, although he has a simpler character in many ways. Cooper is not quite as good with the comedy but he is a good presence in the film and plays off the others (particularly Helms) well. The various comic characters in support include mostly funny turns from Graham, Jeong, Riggle and of course Mike Tyson.
In summary, The Hangover will be loved by the majority of the target audience but is fast-paced and funny enough to please the casual viewer. It may not stand up to repeat viewings due to the nature of some of the laughs but it good fun without too much reliance on crudity or basic pratfalls.