Synopsis:

A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.

The Freak's Rating: B : One needn't read further than the headline of the poster for The Hangover to know precisely what they're in for here.  "From the director of Old School" should tell you enough.  Todd Phillips is currently at the helm of Old School Dos, the sequel, and I'm just as pumped for it as I was for the original.  When you mix a good cast with slick writing and directing you are bound to have some laughs in this genre, and I didn't leave the theater disappointed.

Bradley Cooper appears to be escalating to Hollywood's A-list with a recent turn in He's Just Not That Into You and he virtually headlines here.  The Daily Show continues to generate amazing comedic talent and Ed Helms (Andy from The Office) is fantastic as Stu.  Rob Riggle (another Daily Show alum) also makes a cameo.  The new guy is Zach Galifianakis as Alan.  Alan is sometimes excessive, but for the most part hilarious and has instantly quotable lines spewing out of his mouth throughout the entire film.  Heather Graham has a small role as a stripper and Mike Tyson even makes a cameo.  Graham's moments are obvious attempts to breathe new life into her career (decent job) and Tyson's cameo is flat out horrible.  Despite the aforementioned flaws, the bulk of the performances here are well delivered.  Jeffrey Tambor is even thrown in as the bride's father and is the best part of every scene he is in.

Direction is nicely paced and well framed.  A comedy need not be filmed like a sweeping epic, but often (e.g. What Happens In Vegas) when a film is set in Sin City there are constant shots reminding us where we are.  Here there are just enough mixed in to give the feel of the city, without too much overkill.  Writing is sharp with only a few times where dialogue is taken over the top.  The real beauty here is that there is not a bending of genres.  Though that element will be overlooked by many, it should not be taken for granted.  Nearly every comedy has some type of dramatic turn in order to cross over from a "typical" comedy.  This happens most with romantic comedies, but occasionally ventures into casual comedic fare.  The Hangover is a comedy from start to finish, barely pausing from laughter inducing antics long enough for the audience to even consider any other angle of the story.

There are, of course, many flaws with realism here as there would be with any comedy, but there are enough moments when I laughed out loud to easily offset.  The sequel is already in production and I can't wait to see what they do with it.  If they tighten up the script, eliminate horrible cameos by ex-boxers and stick to the genre, the next one should surely be an A.  As this one stands, it is a definite recommendation for anyone who wants a good laugh.

Matt's Rating: A- : Comedies are extremely hit or miss for me.  I'm always hesitant with a movie like this because I know it has the potential but sometimes the movie doesn't live up to the potential. Or, like Scott said, they try to turn it into something more than a comedy.  Think 40 year old virgin, Juno, all romantic comedies etc.  I don't need some serious point made at the end of a comedy about how I should accept people for who they are.  The only other recent movie that I can think of off the top of my head that didn't have any stupid underlying message was Superbad, which was a very good thing, more comedies need to stick to one thing: making us laugh.  This movie did just that.  My main reasoning for seeing it was Zach Galkdsfoidsfasdfl;adkfja.  I have seen a couple of his stand up dvds/shows and his humor is right in my wheel house.  I was hesitant that he wouldn't be able to transfer to the big screen very well or that he would have to completely change his humor but that wasn't the case at all.  He made the movie for me.  There were a couple of scenes that he absolutely nailed and some of his random humor had me almost in tears.  This is an instantly quotable movie (always a good sign with comedies) and I have had thoughts of seeing it again in theaters. I don't think it has the excessive rewatchability like some comedies have. Billy Madison, Dumb and Dumber, Superbad are all examples.

Sebastian's Rating: B+ : It's hard to say whether or not this movie deserves a B+ or and A-, But here is my review first.

This movie is not for both genders, it's a boys movie, and won't be delievering much laughs to the ladies (not as much.) I basicly laughed my whole way through this movie, but my lady friend didn't find this all too funny, she laughed at one liners but not as much as the crude situtations. 

The dialogue and the acting is superb, making every sentence make you giggle. The script is great, because it makes you guess all the way towards the end... "where the hell is doug?" It's like why in the world is there a baby in the closet and a tiger in the bathroom? It makes you think (and at the same time laugh) as everything slowely unravels... and how it all could have been avoidable.

As the end credits scroll through, and rather funny, yet disturbing, pictures run through the screen, you realise what a fun time you've had. I hope to have this "fun" time again, yet not too often. With this movie, you'll most likely end up on the roof than the floor!

click here to review it yourself!