The Hangover – Unrated (2009/Warner Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture:
B/B- Sound: B-/C+ Extras: C+ Film: B
It is a
pleasant surprise to studios when a seemingly tiny comedy directed at young
males explodes into a blockbuster hit. The Hangover is a Todd Phillips’ comedy
that chronicles a night in Vegas that a group of friends will never forget…well
after they remember first that is. Many
people hope what happens in Vegas truly stays there; but after the night the 4
friends of The Hangover had, they can
only be thankful they made it out of Vegas at all.
The Hangover starts off simple enough as 4 guys
set out to have one last hurrah as their friend Doug takes the plunge down the
aisle; in other words, good old bachelor party shenanigans. Doug (Justin Bartha) is the groom to be, who
with his friends the jaded school teacher Phil (Bradley Cooper), the
relationship whipping-boy Stu (Ed Helms) and his zany future brother in-law
Alan (Zach Galifianakis) set out to have the time of their life. The boys travel to Vegas in style as they
drive into town in a luxury convertible and stay in Caesar Palace’s
best suite; after prying the credit card out of Stu’s hand. It is shown early on the Stu is ruled by his
tyrannical girlfriend Tracy (Sasha Barrese) who dictates his every move and who
he had to lie to, to even come on the trip.
Tracy
has a dark spot on her past (which is joked about throughout the film) as she
slept with a bartender, when Stu and her were on a cruise; as it is proved time
and time again that she is no as infallible as she thinks. After a quick and comedic Jagermeister toast
on the roof of Caesar’s the boys set off for a night on the town; but our next
encounter with the fellas is not on the Strip, but rather the next
morning. The film picks-up in a
destroyed hotel room with the men strewn about and remnants of the night’s
debauchery evident everywhere. We soon
discover that Doug is missing and there is a tiger in the bathroom …yes a tiger
in the bathroom. The night is a blur and
the ‘surviving’ members attempt to piece together the night’s events.
We are
taken on a crazy Memento-type path
as the guys find out all that they had done; often times impressed with
themselves, but for the most part horrified.
The Hangover is a good film,
but is not the above all to end all that many fans describe. The film is merely an unforeseen success that
has many more hits than misses. The cast
works insanely well together and the simplistic, yet creative plot propels the
story forward fast enough without feeling too rushed. If you stop and think too hard about the
film, you will be in for a disappointment.
The Hangover is a fun and
idiotic film that should be taken with a light heart and enjoyed with laughs
and friends. The film is an out of
control adventure that is only heightened by the films engaging personalities
filled by Helms, Cooper and Galifianakis.
Whether it is a finding a flamboyant in their trunk, marrying a hooker,
stealing a cop car or messing with Mike Tyson The Hangover has enough memorable moments to fill two party
films. It is a fun film that only gets
better when watched with others; it is a party like no other.
The
technical features on the Blu-ray and DVD releases of the film are not the
best, but capture the film nicely. The
differences between the theatrical and unrated versions of the film (available
on both the Blu-ray and DVD) are so minuscule that you may miss it if you
blink. The unrated version only adds
about 8minutes of extended scenes/dialogue, but no gratuitous nudity or
language is added as might be expected.
So don’t get too excited. The
Blu-ray features a 1080p/VC-1 encoded widescreen presentation that is nice as
it captures the bright colors of Vegas vividly and has solid contrast. There is a small amount of grain, but nothing
too distracting. The level of detail is
impressive as even the most grotesque close-ups are shockingly clear and
crisp. As previously stated the image is
nice, but not exactly perfect and the DVD heightens the imperfections as the
image does not live up to the Blu-ray.
The DVD’s colors are not as bold, the grain is heavier and lacks a
certain crispness overall; Blu-ray is the way to go. The sound is a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround
sound presentation on Blu-ray that fails to heighten the chaos and antics of
the film. The sound is clear, but does
not have the boastfulness or power behind it a crazy film like The Hangover deserves and the DVD’s
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround only fails further as it is crisp, clean and clear;
yet overall is bland.
The
extras are mildly entertaining and the same on both DVD and Blu-ray; except the
Blu-ray features some additional footage on BD-Live that added nothing. The extras include More Pictures From the
Missing Camera (that are just more of the same); Map of Destruction (a needless
interactive); the Madness of Ken Jeong (best feature on the set); Action
Mash-up (physical comedy scenes strung together); Three Best Friends (extended
version of the song in the film and just as hilarious); The Dan Band (funny
again with more songs); Gag Reel. The Madness of Ken Jeong is amazingly funny
as the flamboyant Asian of the film goes on freestyle rants that are funnier
than most of the film.
A great
comedy that in the right set of mind most mature and not-so mature adults can
enjoy.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
