Being a film coming out of the comedy sector of Hollywood films, The Hangover misses the key ingredient of a well-known comedy actor. Throughout the film there was no sign of Steve Carrell or Ben Stiller. The most famous person on set was probably Mike Tyson, who appears for five minutes as himself in the film. The three main men; Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Bradley Cooper are still recognisable actors and together complete the formula for such a successful film. I suppose this is why the film works so well. It makes the story altogether more realistic and highlights the genius of the script rather than the familiar faces of the actors.

 

The Hangover is a story of four men who set off to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. However, it goes terribly wrong. They wake up after an insane evening not remembering a single thing. Once they realise the groom is missing they come to terms with the fact that they might be experiencing the worst hangover of their lives. The movie highlights the essence of the phrase “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” and they are set on making sure the bride knows nothing about the wildest 24-hours of their lives. They find all kinds of things wandering around their luxury Caesar Palace suite, including a tiger apparently belonging to Mike Tyson. Each object they come across helps them slowly remember the previous evening.

 

It is definitely a ‘lad’s film’ which also explains the lack of normal women in the film. The only females who are involved in the hangover ‘trail’ are a stripper and a high maintenance, controlling girlfriend. So perhaps the film has a slight underlying theme of misogyny. However, if you are too busy laughing at the jokes, you won’t tend to notice. This is exactly the kind of film today’s youths would thoroughly enjoy, as would the adults with a similar crude sense of humor as a 13 year old.

It’s an American ‘Pie’ with a Superbad filling and a little Entourage sprinkled on top. Forget Harry Potter, this is what you should definitely see this summer and probably could turn out to be one of the funniest films of the year.