Have you seen ‘The Hangover’ yet?

January 7, 2010

Have you seen “The Hangover” yet? And if not, why not? Ok, I admit it’s a little raunchy in spots. Ok, let’s not mince words – it’s a crude buddy movie with lots of sex and drugs. But it’s also smart and funny. A smart, funny, adult comedy with great writing and real characters.

And anyone who knows me knows I usually don’t go for raunchy movies, but “The Hangover” gets a big pass. No kids allowed, though. Remember, it’s an adult comedy.

Apparently, everyone else loves it, too! “The Hangover” is now the #1 comedy of all time on DVD, with over 8.6 million units sold, including 1.5 million blu-ray discs in the U.S. and Canada. In theaters, it earned more than $467 million worldwide during its run. We’ll see how it shakes out during awards season over the next few months.

The story is about a Las Vegas bachelor blow-out that goes horribly, horribly wrong. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) and three pals (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis) head for Vegas for one last bash they’ll never forget.

But shortly after arriving, the three have a few drinks on the rooftop and wake up the next morning with zero memory of the previous night. Not only that, Doug is missing. The three remaining buddies embark on a fact-finding mission to learn exactly what happened. The clues include: a trashed hotel suite, a baby, a tiger, Mike Tyson, the Japanese mob, a missing tooth, and a hooker with a heart of gold.

And, of course, there’s the whole thing about trying to get Doug back to his bride in time for the wedding.

If you’re just needing to escape for a couple of hours with some adult humor, I highly recommend “The Hangover.” None of the characters are stereotypes, but rather real people with hang-ups and issues and strengths and weaknesses. Imagine – character development in a movie!

Highlights include:

– A guy who’s not really all there, but the other guys don’t make fun of him. They look out for him (how novel!).

– Heather Graham as the hooker who’s just trying to make ends meet.

– Bradley Cooper, who’s not hard to look at, by any means.

– Great writing and a plot that twists and turns and always has you guessing.

NOW AVAILABLE ON:

Blu-ray Unrated Edition: