The Hangover is Rude, Raucous, Raunchy and Rib-Ticklingly Funny!

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2009)

THE HANGOVER Director: Todd Phillips Country: USA Year: 2009 Language: English Runtime: 100 Minutes Rating: 16
I like my comedies brash and loud. I like to find my self choking on popcorn and shooting Coca-Cola through my nose. I like to laugh out loud and so DUMB & DUMBER (1994) is most definitely my kind of comedy.
Because of this I also loved the flood of films starring Frat-Packers Vince Vaughan, Ben Stiller and the Wilson's. I laughed my ass off at DODGEBALL (2004), WEDDING CRASHERS (2005) and OLD SCHOOL (2003) which was directed by Todd Phillips.
So I had high hopes for THE HANGOVER, the latest film from Phillips, a new comedy about a bachelor party that goes horribly wrong.
The basic premise is this: two days before his wedding, Doug and his three buddies drive to Vegas for a blow-out night they're hoping that they'll never forget but when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding headaches, they realise they've just spent a night they'll never remember! Their posh hotel suite is beyond thrashed with a wee baby in one room and, of all things, a tiger in another. But worse than that the groom is no where to be found.
With no clue as to what happened and little time to spare, the trio must attempt to retrace their steps and relive their bad decisions from the night before in order to figure out where things went so drastically wrong and, hopefully, get Doug back to LA in time for his wedding.
However, the more they begin to uncover the more they realise just how much trouble they're really in!
The film is already a monumental hit in the US, taking in more than $40 million in its opening weekend alone, more than double what was expected. The movie soared on extremely positive word of mouth that started, first as a trickle, from previews and then turned into a torrent as the audience who saw it on Friday and Saturday told their friends who flooded the cinema screens on the Sunday.
But is it any good? Hell, yes it is! When the three groomsmen awake they lurch from one hilarious situation to another. It's a wickedly smart film and manages to mix the very lowest of the low-brow comedy to wondrous effect. It's rude, raucous, raunchy and rib-tickling funny. The comedy is brilliantly written, the characters are wonderfully played and the situations, while contrived, are seldom less than hilarious. If you're a fan of the movies listed above then you'll love this!