What Happens in Vegas

The Hangover opened a couple of weeks ago, and I wasn't all that interested in going to see it. I had seen the preview and read about the premise of the movie, and I thought I'd just catch it on DVD later in the year. Then my friend Glen went to see it, and he loved it. Then, The Hangover came up first at the box office on its opening weekend, beating Pixar's Up by a handful of dollars. Then the positive buzz and the great word of mouth started to build up. Then, The Hangover came up first at the box office on its second weekend, and I decided maybe I should check it out. Shortly after that, I coerced my friend Mike, and we went to The Rave to see what the noise was all about, and man am I glad I went to see it.

The movie stars with Phil (Bradley Cooper) calling his best friend's fiance and telling her they've lost Doug (Justin Bartha), the guy she is supposed to marry in five hours. Along with two other friends, they had gone to Las Vegas for Doug's bachelor's party, and now they could find him. Right after this conversation, the movie goes two days back in time, to when the four friends are about to leave for Vegas, and goes from there to right before they're ready to party that night. Here there's another time jump, and all of a sudden it is the following morning, and we witness the aftermath of what happened the night before. Their room looks like a battlefield, and there are plenty of objects and creatures that shouldn't be there but somehow are. What happened last night? Nobody remembers. And, where's Doug? Nobody knows. But he's getting married tomorrow, so they'd better go find him.

The Hangover is one of those movies that makes you laugh while watching other people's misfortune. There are so many horrific situations and just plain out wrong moments and comments that one can't help but laugh until he cries. The kind of humor in this movie reminded me of Love Stinks and How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, and, to a lesser extent, Get Smart. I had so much fun watching this movie that I would just go and see it again, and I will make sure I get it on DVD, because it was such a good time.

Bottom line: if you don't mind wincing and laughing at the same time, The Hangover is your kind of movie. Go see it, and get ready for very bad things to start happening, and for the laughter to ensue. I guarantee it.