So I went to a screening for The Hangover (comes out June 5, next Friday) last night in Boston.
Two words: Un Real.
It was my favorite movie of the summer season thus far, surpassing, in order, Star Trek, X-Men Origins, and Angels and Demons (haven’t seen Terminator yet) and easily one of the best comedies in a long time – even better than I Love You, Man, which I thought was terrific.
The premise itself is great: three dudes take out their buddy for a bachelor blowout night in Vegas. As you’d expect, things get a little out of hand, something goes wrong, and they have to spend the rest of the movie retracing their steps from the night before. I being overly vague – you’d get way more reading a real review – but I think it’s better to not even know the whole premise. I didn’t and it was iller.
Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting much, or maybe it’s because we don’t have enough bad-ass comedies anymore, but I was thoroughly impressed with the pace, timing and theme of the whole thing. These days comedies are about lovable losers and wussy funnymen, with heartfelt underlying themes that usually manifest in a corny true love story (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Wedding Crashers, Knocked Up, and in terms of bromance, Superbad and I Love You Man). This movie has none of that. It’s straight bad-ass and funny, the closest sniff of anything sincere only coming when one of the guys has to make a decision with a stripper.
Too often comedies fall apart after they come out swinging in the first 30-45 minutes. Hangover comes out throwing haymakers, but like Mike Tyson in his prime, doesn’t stop there. It goes for the full-blown knockout at the end with one of the best ending sequences of ALL-TIME. Seriously, we may have seen the unedited version (wayyy too many penises) but the way they end it is perfect. I can’t even hint at it without giving anything away. It’s not that you will be surprised or anything, just extremely fulfilled – it’s exactly what you want.
It was written by two unknowns, John Lucas and Scott Moore, but it could have easily been written by anyone of my friends. The jokes are my type of humor.
Jokes like: “Counting cards is foolproof.”
“Yea, and it’s also illegal.”
“It’s not illegal! It’s frowned upon, like…like…masturbating on a plane.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”
“Yea, maybe after 9/11, with everybody is so sensitive and shit.
…Thanks, Bin Laden.”
The director is Todd Phillips, who produced Old School, and he delivers a little treat that will take you back to that movie. My lips are sealed. I was a little concerned with Bradley Cooper (The Sack from Wedding Crashers) in the lead, but he murders it. I hope this opens some more doors for him ‘cause he’s a beast in this movie. Ed Helms is secret ill too and Heather Graham is, well, hot, but it’s Zach Galifianakis (??) who steals the movie. I’d say it’s a breakout role, but he’s already 40.
I def recommend seeing this movie. Maybe party a little before too. You’ll pretty much want to immediately head to Vegas with your crew right after. I was gonna post the trailer, but it ruins too mnay jokes. Don't even watch that thing.
Two words: Un Real.
It was my favorite movie of the summer season thus far, surpassing, in order, Star Trek, X-Men Origins, and Angels and Demons (haven’t seen Terminator yet) and easily one of the best comedies in a long time – even better than I Love You, Man, which I thought was terrific.
The premise itself is great: three dudes take out their buddy for a bachelor blowout night in Vegas. As you’d expect, things get a little out of hand, something goes wrong, and they have to spend the rest of the movie retracing their steps from the night before. I being overly vague – you’d get way more reading a real review – but I think it’s better to not even know the whole premise. I didn’t and it was iller.
Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting much, or maybe it’s because we don’t have enough bad-ass comedies anymore, but I was thoroughly impressed with the pace, timing and theme of the whole thing. These days comedies are about lovable losers and wussy funnymen, with heartfelt underlying themes that usually manifest in a corny true love story (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Wedding Crashers, Knocked Up, and in terms of bromance, Superbad and I Love You Man). This movie has none of that. It’s straight bad-ass and funny, the closest sniff of anything sincere only coming when one of the guys has to make a decision with a stripper.
Too often comedies fall apart after they come out swinging in the first 30-45 minutes. Hangover comes out throwing haymakers, but like Mike Tyson in his prime, doesn’t stop there. It goes for the full-blown knockout at the end with one of the best ending sequences of ALL-TIME. Seriously, we may have seen the unedited version (wayyy too many penises) but the way they end it is perfect. I can’t even hint at it without giving anything away. It’s not that you will be surprised or anything, just extremely fulfilled – it’s exactly what you want.
It was written by two unknowns, John Lucas and Scott Moore, but it could have easily been written by anyone of my friends. The jokes are my type of humor.
Jokes like: “Counting cards is foolproof.”
“Yea, and it’s also illegal.”
“It’s not illegal! It’s frowned upon, like…like…masturbating on a plane.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”
“Yea, maybe after 9/11, with everybody is so sensitive and shit.
…Thanks, Bin Laden.”
The director is Todd Phillips, who produced Old School, and he delivers a little treat that will take you back to that movie. My lips are sealed. I was a little concerned with Bradley Cooper (The Sack from Wedding Crashers) in the lead, but he murders it. I hope this opens some more doors for him ‘cause he’s a beast in this movie. Ed Helms is secret ill too and Heather Graham is, well, hot, but it’s Zach Galifianakis (??) who steals the movie. I’d say it’s a breakout role, but he’s already 40.
I def recommend seeing this movie. Maybe party a little before too. You’ll pretty much want to immediately head to Vegas with your crew right after. I was gonna post the trailer, but it ruins too mnay jokes. Don't even watch that thing.
-Nick
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment