Directed by Todd Phillips
(R)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A bachelor party goes terribly awry.
The premise of The Hangover—four friends head to Vegas for a bachelor party—is hardly a new one, said Rene Rodriguez in The Miami Herald. But director Todd Phillips gives it a perversely brilliant spin, making this one lost weekend you’ll want to remember. It’s not the bachelor party that’s so hilarious but the morning after. The buddies wake up with no recollection of what happened the night before and must piece together the evening’s events. It all plays out like a sick, “sun-drenched comic mystery,” said Desson Thomson in The Washington Post. The Hangover could have easily turned into another buddy movie or Vegas romp, but instead it’s like “Memento featuring the Three Stooges.” Phillips, who showed his ridiculous sense of humor with Old School, not only understands the art of surprise but also the importance of pacing. And let’s not forget the importance of a good cast, said Ty Burr in The Boston Globe. His funnymen, in particular Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, make this worst-case-scenario morning after seem “howlingly funny.”
-
Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
-
Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
-
ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
