Modern Film: The Hangover (2009)

★★★★

Because film is an artform, conversations about the worthiness of a film as a work of art make the distinction between the kinds of film that have artistic merit and those that have mass appeal. Except for a few satires, comedies tend to fall into the “mere entertainment” category, and so are underrepresented in the history of film. I think this is unfortunate because a good comedy is something that can be as emotionally transformative and insightful as a good drama.

The Hangover is a crude comedy about a bachelor party gone wrong. How it went wrong is unclear as we don’t see the night in question. Instead, the action cuts to the morning after, three of the revellers – Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Stu (Ed Helms), and Phil (Bradley Cooper) – find themselves caught up in a path of destruction that they can’t remember. Also, the groom (Justin Bartha) is missing. It must have been one hell of a night! So rather than witnessing the shenanigans of the night’s revelling, we witness the hungover aftermath.

The comedy is on point from start to finish, never getting tiring or tedious. Zach Galifianakis is brilliant and intense as the bride’s weirdo brother, effectively along for the ride but bringing an energy that Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper play off. The comic construction of dealing with the night after provides more hilarity than if we witnessed the events. It would be somehow less believable to watch them steal a tiger than trying to figure out how a tiger ended up in their bathroom. Some of it wraps up conveniently, but narrative closure isn’t really the point.

This film leans into – and builds upon – the mythic quality of Las Vegas as a party destination. The plot hits all the cliches of a town that markets itself with “what happens here, stays here” including gambling, strippers, and even a drunk wedding. As far as destinations for benders go, Las Vegas works as America’s adult playground. Even with the bad decisions made by this bachelor party, it is largely consequence-free fun. All’s well that ends well, right? This film is as great an advertisement for the city as I’ve seen on film. It’s certainly better than the sad reality of patrons soiling themselves as they sit on slot machines in rooms designed to disorient a sense of time where they gamble away their life savings.

While comedies are perennially crowd favourites, very few end up on lists of great films. Of the few that do, they tend to only have a contemporary appeal and are remembered fondly rather than being sought out by later generations. I feel this is a shame because making someone laugh is hard, making something that is funny for a feature length film is even harder, and comedies can touch on themes in a way that sombre dramas cannot. If you wanted to hit on the same themes as in this film but in a more serious way, you’d get something that look would a lot like the critically lauded Sideways.

If you liked The Hangover, try: Ted, Road Trip, Sideways