The Hangover (2009)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  6 / 10

  The Hangover creatively embeds a flashback structure which creates infrequent laughs. "The funniest comedy of the 00s" this is not, and I'm tired of other modern comedies referencing "from the producers of The Hangover" as if it's a work of art. It's watchable, with a few laughs (none from me though...nothing new there) that will appeal to the majority of viewers. A group of friends party the night away before a wedding but as they wake up with a killer hangover, they quickly realise that they had an extremely eventful time where their friend is missing. With no recollection whatsoever, they must retrace their steps which often results in absurd encounters. A tiger in a bathroom, stealing a baby, unknowingly piercing a mattress atop a rooftop statue and missing a tooth...which happens to be the most realistic outcome. Look, I'm sure we've all had terrible hangovers, but none this stupidly absurd. The lunacy of these situations is what supposedly creates the laughs, to which I give credit for the inventive use of the flashback narrative structure. But I was left feeling dumbfounded rather than joyous. Sometimes less is more, and in this case fewer silly scenarios would've made the story tighter and more cohesive as opposed to just being a montage of events. The dynamic friendship between Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis was thoroughly developed and conveyed with buoyancy. There's banter, emotion and fights, enhancing how the reckless night has affected them mentally. Acting was charismatic from everyone, except Helms who I just do not like. He is just so plain in everything and typically unfunny. The screenplay does have some quotable dialogue, often recited by many teenagers thinking it was cool to say "paging doctor faggot". Oh yeah, and Mike Tyson has a cameo. So if that hasn't tipped your glass then I don't know what will. Unlike most hangovers, this is rapidly entertaining with some humorous lines and committed performances but remains mostly unfunny leaving a bland beer aftertaste. What I do want to know is what they were drinking, because I'll have what they had...

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