A surprisingly enjoyable modern comedy

Rating: 8/10 (25 September 2010)

When Todd Phillips announced the viewing of his newest movie "The Hangover" my first instinct was to reject it immediately, because my track record with this director hasn't exactly been the best. Don't get me wrong, Todd has given us some exceptional stuff over the years. "Road Trip" was a bit dodgy, but overall a funny movie, Old School wasn't too bad either, it did have it's moments of enjoyment. But I think the moment where Phillips really lost my respect was with his 2006 film "School for Scoundrels", I can't even begin to describe what a bad movie that was.
Anyway, my mind was set. I wasn't going to set myself up for disappointment again. However my friends would not give up until they got me to sit down and watch this movie. At one point, I believe they even threaten to tie me to a chair and tape my eyelids to my head and make me watch it. Course I knew they were bluffing, but I wasn't going to take the risk. So that same weekend I finally I gave in and decided to buy a ticket for "The Hangover", and with great surprise I came out of the cinema cracking myself with laughter. It's time's like this I'm glad that my friends are dangerously obsessive.
The Hangover is a huge come back by Todd Phillips. It's a breath of fresh air that outwits most of the modern comedies you see now a days. The title makes it pretty obvious that it's about a group of blokes that have one hell of a night and as a result suffer from hell of a hangover, with one of its main symptoms being memory loss. After waking up in a trashed apartment with one guy missing, the three friends make their way to the streets of Las Vegas making several stops and gradually putting together the pieces of the puzzle that will hopefully solve the mystery of what happened at the bachelor party as well as mark the location of the soon to be married groom.
A great thing about this movie is that you don't ever know what's going to happen. These guys just go from place to place with no idea of what lies ahead, and that in itself leaves for a very funny effect. Phillip's is also very careful to make sure that he doesn't expose too much information about what happened that night, the supporting cast only gives a limited bit of info to three main characters, so that way, it doesn't ruin the ending for the audience, as well as maintain the hilarious effect of not being able to determine what kind of unexpected occurrence will take place.
Apart from it being genuinely funny, The Hangover also succeeds in delivering an equal balance of character and crudity. Although they appear somewhat stereotypical, Stu, Phil and Alan are all consistently amusing figures. The chemistry between them is convincing, effectively funny, and very well portrayed by Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis.
With a clever script, efficient direction, and hilarious auto-play between characters, "The Hangover" makes for an overall considerably funny movie about the modern concept of road trip to Las Vegas.