Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Updates:

The Hangover (2009)

Director: Todd Phillips

Time Out rating

Average user rating

90 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Mainstream comedy has always been a staunchly phallocentric affair, but recent months have seen a shift away from the loveable-doofus antics of the Frat pack into altogether more worrying territory. Spearheaded by the UK’s own ‘Lesbian Vampire Killers’, 2009’s comic slate displays a disturbing attitude towards the fairer sex: sure, they’re nice to look at, but they’re also superfluous, and potentially even life-threatening.

Todd Phillips’s previous big success, ‘Old School’, fell squarely in the frat camp, marrying ’80s-style debauchery with a broad streak of appealingly daft slapstick. ‘The Hangover’ retains the former but ditches the latter in favour of a series of loud, aggressive, increasingly unlikely set-piece gags. An intriguing, time-hopping set-up – a group of friends wake after a Vegas stag party and attempt to piece together the previous night’s activities – is wasted on obnoxious characters, celebrity cameos and crass attempts at humour.

It doesn’t help that the central cast is almost entirely forgettable, from the smug lounge lizardry of Bradley Cooper to the boisterous Jack Black-lite of Zach Galifianakis. A genuine star – Vaughn, Rudd, either Wilson brother – would have made these characters likeable, rather than simply pitiful and tiring. Ironically, the only memorable performance in the film – aside from a lumbering, if entirely appropriate, cameo from Mike Tyson – is given by Heather Graham as a hapless hooker. Her geisha-like docility, contrasted with a vicious, hectoring performance from Rachael Harris as a castrating girlfriend, sums up the film’s prehistoric attitude: women may be cute, but dudes don’t need the hassle.

Author: Tom Huddleston 2009-06-09 10:57:54

Time Out London Issue 2025, June 11 - 17, 2009

Bookmark

User reviews of this film

Jeremy said...

Posted on Jun 20 2009 18:01 The movie was a comedy for grown up toddlers. While i will put zach at the top of the list for a breakout performance , along with heather grahm, the pacing of the movie killed any laughs that may have come and the drawn out ending killed whatever hope i had for this "comedy" to make me laugh.

Report as inappropriate
alex said...

Posted on Jun 19 2009 20:36 My girlfriend and me did not stop laughing throughout the whole film, and neither did the rest of the audience. It was the first time i saw everyone continue to laugh after they had left the cinema. Best comedy i have seen in very long time. The reviewer is clearly drawn only by high profile actors and doesn't have a real sense of humour!! Watch this!!

Report as inappropriate
Leeboy said...

Posted on Jun 19 2009 11:31 This film is brilliant. I'm going to watch it again. Soon. Don't listen to the haters. I won't commit until I have seen this again but it could possibly be better than Old School. It's certainly in that league. The chemistry between the case is spot on. Great film.

Report as inappropriate
Thomas said...

Posted on Jun 19 2009 04:15 wow i cant believe you thought this cast was forgetablehole movie unforgetable and im glad they could pull it off with secondary characters from other d=great comedies. they pulled off a truely great work, maybe not as funny as say wedding crashers or step brothers. but still it was really funny.(the Dan Band was a great addition at the end)

Report as inappropriate
billybob said...

Posted on Jun 18 2009 22:37 all of you people who said these movie sucked are freakin fags...especially the person who wrote this article...i give 100 out of 100...and so did the entire group of friends i was with...anyone who doesnt like this movie needs to go get a sense of humor...hands down greatest movie ever..ive seen it 2 times and i still cant stop laughing about it

Report as inappropriate
lacey xox said...

Posted on Jun 18 2009 16:55 is this worth watching ? :)

Report as inappropriate
Gareth said...

Posted on Jun 18 2009 13:09 The reviewer is just complaining about not enough pretty famous people to look at. Petulant.

Report as inappropriate
sparklebunnyboo said...

Posted on Jun 18 2009 12:47 it look really funny i woyld see it and youshould 2

Report as inappropriate
Kilpers said...

Posted on Jun 18 2009 00:42 PowerRangerYELLOW: Did you actually watch this film? You're trying to tell us that you love trash comedies but you didn't laugh once at this film? What a load of tosh! You're just putting that in so people like me will respond to you.
The main reviewer must've been in a bad mood when they saw this film as it is without peer - how they managed to cram well presented jokes and visual gags into 100 minutes is beyond me! Good job and well worth my time - and the packed cinema that seemed to enjoy it so much a, rare, round of applause went up when the film had finished. Classic.

Report as inappropriate
legend said...

Posted on Jun 16 2009 17:24 This film was hilarious if you liked superbad you will love this great characters and some fantastic 1 liners people who dont find this film funny clearly need their heads testing 10 out of 10 from me and from everybody i went with and there was 7 of us.

Report as inappropriate
DAVE said...

Posted on Jun 15 2009 21:55 This film was hilarious and the only people who petend to find it not funny are pompous fools who think they have write what they think is intelligent jargon to make them sound above what is just simple moderm comedy.

Report as inappropriate
LJW17 said...

Posted on Jun 15 2009 20:28 Maybe worst comedy I have ever seen!! This movie was a waste of my two hours. Not funny at all. Stupid forced jokes. Horrible characters, except Ed Helms. Zak galifi whatever is the worst!! Please save your money!

Report as inappropriate
big jordyyy Yeooo said...

Posted on Jun 15 2009 12:23 this movie was absoolutely amazing leiik. you know wot i mean. you see som movies and yer likee aww tht was ok, but tht was well out the window with this one i must say. it is one of the best movies tht i have ever saw. i loved every single scene :P !!! loveed it (:

Report as inappropriate
leah said...

Posted on Jun 15 2009 12:19 really good movie made me laugh alot! The story is really good and it sounds like something my dad would do lol :)

Report as inappropriate
usman khawaja said...

Posted on Jun 15 2009 08:17 VULGAR AND VAPID IN VEGAS -I think they accomplished the unthinkable by turning Las vegas and a good cast into a VAPID mediocre comedy with stale jokes about inane cops ,brutal chinese gangs and VULGAR male bonding on a stag night .
Every cliche from pissing ,puking and big black woman is here to tickle your humour except the movie has none itself .
They even could not resist taking a Tiger for a walk and throwing in bullying black celebrity stereotype who hates cops .
This is one vegas trip i find totally vacuous and vapid despite the vulgar ebullience of the place itself which has some significance .
Four morons,alcohol and dope,and copyrights inclusive of Black Jack ,and a movie you could make better with a dig-cam in a camper .
A misguided tour of las vegas and the precious human sense of humour .
DESPICABLE AND LOATHSOME

Report as inappropriate