What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas or Just get him to the church in time.

Rating: 7/10 (25 January 2010)

I've seen this comedy twice, two days in the row; first, with my husband, and then on the New Year Eve, with the company of friends. Everyone enjoyed it and laughed a lot. I liked it both times, the second time as much as the first and this is not usually my kind of comedies. I prefer my comedy more sophisticated, subtle, witty, but Hangover somehow won me over. It started and ended fairly predictable, but in the middle - the night that four friends spent conquering Las Vegas and throwing the bachelor party to end all bachelor parties, of which they have no recollection the following morning, -this part of the movie was very funny. Just to picture once again in my mind the battle field that their posh hotel suite in the Cesar's Palace has became, with the Bengal tiger occupied the bathroom and meeting every visitor with the scary roar, with the lonely chicken walking on the floor, and with the baby-by in the closet, makes me laugh again. And I did not mention that one of the friends is missing his front tooth, another is wearing the hospital wrist band, and the groom has disappeared in the thin air. Did the tiger eat him or did he turn into the chicken or became a baby? When Mike Tyson appears in the middle of the film as a visitor of three friends who were desperately looking for their friend and tried to figure out what exactly did happen last night, I knew that I liked the movie. Showing Mike Tyson singing in unison with Phil Collins and demanding that his pet-tiger who was stolen from his mansion must be delivered back to him or else, was a stroke of genius. Don Luis Bunuel would have loved that scene, I am sure.
We were watching uncut full version. Many of the jokes were far below the waist but the performers seem amused at what they were doing on the screen, and when this happens, then the audience laugh. Not for sensitive viewers, who easily blush and get insulted.
The Hangover may be described in two sentences, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" and with the opening line from Mr. Dolittlle song in My Fair Lady, "Just get me to the church in time". We all have seen many movies about bachelor parties, Vegas, hangover, and male bonding. Hangover does not tell anything new but thanks to the clever writing and the real chemistry among Bradley Cooper (Phil, the schoolteacher), Ed Helms (Stu, the dentist), and Zach Galiifanakis (nerdy, socially awkward brother-in-low to be homage to the Rainman), the film keeps the viewers interest and provides more than few laughs. Did I mention Mike Tyson who almost overplayed the professional actors?