“The Hangover” DVD, Blu-ray Movie Review

DVD, Blu-ray Movie Review

"The Hangover"

Directed by Todd Phillips, written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, 100 minutes, rated R.

By our guest blogger, Michaela Zanello

Ah, Vegas--a place where hookers, money, booze and drugs are more easily obtainable than a vending machine pop-tart, thus making it an Edenic haven for the Maxim crowd of 30-something frat boys seeking an escape from suburban ennui. Hence, the reason why Sin City is the perfect locale for a film by Todd Phillips (“Old School,”“Road Trip,”“School for Scoundrels”), who is swiftly becoming the alpha directorus of bromantic comedies about stunted manhood.

“The Hangover” is Phillips’ 2009 ode to man-boys and is now a Golden Globe-nominee for Best Motion Picture: Comedy. This film is refreshing in that it deviates in its casting from the predictable brigade of clownish gents, including the likes of Vince Vaughn, Will Farrell and Seth Rogen, who have created quite the monopoly on comedy. Rather, “The Hangover” employs a fresh cast of stooges, comprised of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha.

Bradley Cooper is equipped with the role of goofball-in-chief, Phil Wennick, with Ed Helms playing the part of Phil’s best pal, Stu, a hen-pecked dentist with a root canal of a girlfriend. Justin Bartha plays Doug, a respectable guy on the verge of getting married. Rounding out the threesome is Alan, Doug’s future brother-in-law, whose personality cocktail is one part pedophile, two parts autistic, and all parts strange.

The basic plot of “The Hangover” isn’t anything terribly original--bachelor party in Vegas, crazy stuff happens, the groom-to-be is M.I.A, and no one can remember anything. Even so, with a series of gags that progressively become more and more madcap, the film is highly entertaining. Plus, “The Hangover” acts as sort of a comedic “Memento,” using a nifty narrative stunt in which only the aftermath of the rowdy night of partying is revealed, leaving the characters lost and confused as they attempt to retrace their steps in order to figure out what the heck went down.

To find their way back to the beginning, they will need to follow a trail of breadcrumbs that include a missing tooth, an unidentified baby, an effeminate Chinese mob boss, and a certain, heavy-hitting, ferocious feline. When framed within an interesting detective story, the outrageous situations certainly do captivate the viewer’s attention, but at the same time, one can’t help feeling that the actual comedic content of “The Hangover” is a bit uninspired, tasting a lot like a can of watered-down beer.

This is not to say that “The Hangover” doesn’t have any laugh-out-loud moments, because it does, most of which come from Galifianakis’ weird but wonderful portrayal of Alan.  And so, in spite of its flaws, “The Hangover” may not be the funniest movie ever been made, but this tale of four ordinary chums in extraordinary circumstances is still worth a watch.

Grade: B

View the DVD trailer for "The Hangover" below. Thoughts?