Plenty of laughs and likable characters makes the Hangover a winner in my book

Rating: 7/10 (21 October 2013)

I first watched the Hangover about 3 years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. Having watched it again this evening, I must admit that I didn't love it quite as much as the first time I watched it, but it is a still a winner in my opinion.
The plot is very simple and focuses on four friends Alan (Galifianakis), Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms) and Doug (Bartha) all heading to Las Vegas for a bachelor party prior to Doug's wedding to Alan's sister Tracy (Sasha Barrese). Once in Vegas, the lads decide to celebrate Doug's last night of freedom in style which involves plenty of booze and plenty of gambling in the casinos. The following day the men all wake up worse for wear (as the title of the film implies), but there's a problem the groom Doug is missing and the lads can't remember what they did the night before and therefore they have no idea where to start looking. The men find themselves in a race against time to try and find Doug in order to get him back to LA in time for his wedding....
There are several aspects that make the Hangover work. Firstly there is the script - John Lucas and Scott Moore have clearly put some thought into the script as there were many surprises along the way (most of which are as a direct consequence of the lads drunken behaviour). I found some of the twists in the Hangover to be pretty effective and as a result I found myself more and more engrossed in the film. Secondly, all the characters had a certain likable quality about them. Although, they still cause mayhem 'post hangover' they all still have a certain charm about them and a lot of the time they find themselves in ridiculous situations and doing ridiculous things all in a bid to try and find their lost friend so for that reason it is hard to dislike them. Thirdly, the chemistry between the 3 leads was also really good. Cooper, Galifianakis & Helms all worked well together - they are all very different characters who all think very differently which caused them to bicker quite a lot (which was funny in itself).
The Hangover is a very funny film with a few surprises that can be found along the way. Whilst, I don't believe it is the funniest film I've ever seen, it certainly is a funny film that you should definitely check out.