Review of The Hangover (2009) by Rjsmoove — 19 Mar 2011

Director Todd Phillips has a knack for making some of the best buddy comedies. Road Trip, Old Scool, Starsky & Hutch, and the upcoming Due Date starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. I didn't care for most of the previous titles, except Old School.

It took me a long time to see Old School, but when I did I was thoroughly satisfied. It wasn's the movie itself that I fell in love with, as much as the genuine feeling of comradery and friendship between Mitch (Luke Wilson), Frank the Tank (Will Ferrell) and Beanie (Vince Vaughn).

That is the very same feeling I get when I watch The Hangover. The actors all have a chemistry that makes you believe what's happening to them, no matter how outrageous it is. Zach Galifiankis was the best.

What a great way to break onto the movie scene, after a decade of extra roles, and tv spots. The slogan, "Some guys just can't handle Vegas" is perfect. Without saying, if you saw the trailer you alreay know that the premise of the story is a bit extreme, but I never got the feeling that events from the film were beyond the realm of reality.

Another great thing about this movie was the cameos. I'm always a sucker for good cameos, and The Hangover doesn't disappoint. I loved the appearances of Ken Jeong as the gay Chinese gangster Mr. Chow, Rob Riggle as the over-caffinated cop, and Mike Epps as black Doug.

Oh yeah, and that other Mike too. Although, they probally shouldn't have spoiled that one in the preview. With so much going on in the story, this film could have easily had a few unfilled plot holes, but I'm happy to say that it didn't.

The only question that went unanswered was how that chicken got in the hotel room. The Hangover was one of my favorite films of the summer. That's saying alot because there were quite a few great movies that came out in the summer of 2009.

Todd Phillips may use the same basic buddy comedy palette for each of his movies, but why shouldn't he? It works. I can't wait for Due Date. And if theres any truth to this, we should be expecting a sequal to The Hangover.

My fingers are crossed for that one.