The Hangover [Rated/Unrated]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A blowout Las Vegas bachelor party turns into a race against time when three hung-over groomsmen awaken after a night of drunken debauchery to find that the groom has gone missing, and attempt to get him to the alter in time for his wedding. In 48 hours, Doug is scheduled to walk down the aisle, effectively ending his reign as a rowdy bachelor. Realizing that this is their last blowout with their best friend, Doug's groomsmen organize a Sin City bachelor bash he'll never forget. The next morning, the groomsmen come to in their Caesar's Palace suite to find a tiger in the bathroom and a six-month-old baby tucked away in the closet. Unfortunately, Doug is nowhere to be found. With no memory of the previous night's transgressions and precious little time to spare, the trio sets out in a hazy attempt to retrace their steps and discover exactly where things went wrong. Will they find Doug in time to get him to the wedding back in Los Angeles, or will his bride experience the sharp sting of disappointment when she walks down the aisle to discover that her future husband is nowhere to be found? Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Heather Graham star in a rambunctious comedy from Old School director Todd Phillips. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Color

AWARDS

• American Cinema Editors Guild

•     Nominated Best Edited Feature - Comedy or Musical - 2009 (Debra Neil-Fisher)

• Art Directors Guild

•     Nominated Best Art Direction in a Contemporary Film - 2009

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Nominated Best Original Screenplay - 2009 (Scott Moore, Jon Lucas)

• Detroit Film Critics Society

•     Won Best Ensemble - 2009

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Picture - Comedy or Musical - 2009

• Writers Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Original Screenplay - 2009 (Scott Moore, Jon Lucas)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Bradley Cooper - Phil
       Ed Helms - Stu
       Zach Galifianakis - Alan
       Heather Graham - Jade
       Justin Bartha - Doug
       Rachael Harris - Melissa
       Jeffrey Tambor - Sid
       Sasha Barrese - Tracy
       Ken Jeong - Mr. Chow
       Mike Tyson - Himself
       Rob Riggle - Officer Franklin
       Matt Walsh - Dr. Valsh
       Mike Epps - Black Doug
       Ian Anthony Dale - Chow's #1
       Michael Li - Chow's #2
       Dan Finnerty - Wedding Singer
       Cleo King - Officer Garden
       Nathalie Fay - Lisa
       Jernard Burks - Leonard
       Bryan Callen - Eddie
       Casey Margolis - Budnick
       Gillian Vigman - Stephanie
       Sondra Currie - Linda
       Mike Vallely - Neeco
       Jesse Erwin - Hotel Valet
       Chuck Pacheco - Hotel Guest at Valet
       James Martin Kelly - Police Clerk
       Todd Phillips - Mr. Creepy
       Floyd Levine - Tailor

• Director:

  Todd Phillips

• Producer:

  Daniel Goldberg, Todd Phillips

• Screenwriter:

  Todd Phillips, Jeremy Garelick

• Screen Story:

  Scott Moore

• Screenwriter:

  Scott Moore

• Screen Story:

  Jon Lucas

• Screenwriter:

  Jon Lucas

• Cinematographer:

  Lawrence Sher

• Composer (Music Score):

  Christophe Beck

• Editor:

  Debra Neil-Fisher

• Production Designer:

  Bill Brzeski

• Executive Producer:

  William Fay, Jon Jashni, Chris Bender, J.C. Spink, Scott Budnick, Thomas Tull

REVIEW:

• It's hard to review a movie like The Hangover in terms that are the most fitting. Words and phrases like "funny," "outrageous," and "awesomely inappropriate" are all well and good, but they don't get to the heart of the film like, say, drunkenly rating it "epic" out of five stars.
  
  Such intoxicated creative sportsmanship can be hard to justify in the cold light of day, but don't worry, that fits with the movie, too. The story begins with Doug (Justin Bartha), a thirtysomething guy who's getting married in two days. Cut to a borrowed vintage Mercedes Cabrio (which you know is just doomed) packed full of groomsmen (Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, and Ed Helms) hightailing it out to Vegas for the traditional last night of freedom. Cut to the evening of supposedly tame libations starting out innocently enough. Cut to the three wrecked members of the wedding party waking up the next morning in their decimated suite with a baby in the closet, a tiger in the bathroom, and no idea where the groom is.
  
  They also have no idea what happened last night, having apparently transgressed to such Hunter S. Thompson-esque levels of debauchery that they entered some kind of partying black hole. A raucous detective story ensues, as the guys piece together their forgotten adventures in search of the missing Doug, and of course, inevitably stir up the hilarious consequences of last night's inebriated shenanigans.
  
  It would be a terrible waste to spoil too many specifics, because a lot of the discoveries about what happened pop up as true surprises, and even the more predictable stuff (Come on, it's Vegas -- you know somebody's marrying a prostitute) plays out creatively. Director Todd Phillips helped define this particular brand of boys-gone-wild comedy with 2003's Old School, but The Hangover is way crazier and more over-the-top. And that goes for all aspects of the film: the pace is more frantic, the jokes are rowdier, and the plot is more harrowing by a lot. That being said, the humor doesn't really push the envelope in terms of ardently R-rated comedy, and things get a little sappy at the end. So if you're looking for the next stop on the Shockingly Experimental Comedy train, don't get off here -- this ride is strictly for laughs. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi