Go Ahead and Laugh – It’s The Hangover Talking

Once again, I am blessed to share the spotlight (so to speak) with a Guest Blogger but this one is no ordinary guest blogger.  As a matter of fact, starting next week, this young lady will be my partner in crime on The REEL Box Office Buzz!  More about that later.

My good friend, Michelle, from sunny and HOT Phoenix, Arizona recently saw The Hangover and she has MUCH to say about it.  Michelle Bell is a “cinema fanatic that escapes the desert sun in Phoenix by hiding out in the local movie theater.” Check out her review below.

If you are a fan of movies like Old School and Road Trip, then the latest from Director Todd Phillips is going to give you quite the happy hour with his latest movie, “The Hangover”.

This movie takes the classic movie Bachelor Party just one step further into utter chaos surrounding that time-honored tradition of the bachelor party. Doug (Justin Bartha) is about to get married and his two best friends, Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms), decide that Las Vegas is the perfect destination for one final night of freedom for Doug. Doug ends up bringing along his future brother-in-law with them, a total oddball named Alan (Zach Galifianakis), and a borrowed car from his future father-in-law. They arrive at their destination of Caesar’s Palace and after a toast on top of the roof of the casino, we are fast-forwarded to the next morning. The suite is a wreck, there is a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, Stu is missing a tooth, and Doug is missing. To add to the problem, none of them can remember a thing that happened. That is when the wild ride ensues as they try to piece together the night before and find Doug in time to get him home for his wedding.

Justin Bartha, who was utterly charming in the “National Treasure” movies, is merely a backing character for most of this movie, unfortunately. He is a solid actor that is enjoyable in his scenes. Bradley Cooper is the good looking buddy that is really just a jerk most of the time. Ed Helms character is a neurotic mess that is hen pecked by the girlfriend at home. It is really Zach Galifianakis that steals the movie with his comedic timing and hilarious facial expressions. He hasn’t done much in the past, but I really expect to see him starring in more comedies where he is cast as the oddball. There is a hilarious cameo by Mike Tyson that is not to be missed if only for his singing “In the Air Tonight”. Heather Graham has a small role in the movie as a stripper/escort named Jade that figures prominently into quite a few questions that the trio are trying to have answered. There is a mix of eccentric characters that they run into over the course of the movie that tie the chaos up perfectly and leaves you wondering where the time went as it is so fast paced.

As much as I did enjoy the movie and would recommend it for adults, it is rated R for a reason. The humor is very crude and sexual for the most part. (Again, think of “Old School” and “Road Trip”.) Some of the jokes are a little too much and over the top, leaving me squirming a little uneasily in my chair. It amazed me yesterday to see so many preteens in the theater watching the movie and while it was obvious they didn’t get a lot of the jokes from their cautious laughter, it was definitely not a movie I would ever recommend sending your children to. Overall I would say it is worth taking a shot and going to see.

Thanks, Michelle!  Again, if you’d like to be a Guest Blogger for The Buzz, just shoot me an email at lsullivan@sulcompr.com.

Until next time, see YOU at the movies!

Lisa

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