Friday, June 5, 2009

Movie Review: The Hangover (2009)

SCORE
-2/5-

CAST
  • Bradley Cooper: Phil Wenneck.
  • Ed Helms: Stu Price.
  • Zach Galifanakis: Alan Garner.
  • Justin Bartha: Doug Billings.
  • Directed by Todd Phillips.

STORY

"A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him" (source: imdb.com).

REVIEW

Never before have I wanted more to give a movie 0/5 in score, but I have to admit that this film qualifies, on our objective scale (which you can read here), warrants a 2: "the movie has some value, but it fails to accomplish 1 or more of its goals."

The Hangover meets its basic goal of providing crude humor to those who appreciate it. Occasionally, it even provides a few brief moments of non-crass humor. I laughed at this movie, and, in restrospect, I am not proud of this.

The premise is clever enough: a bunch of groomsmen lose the groom following his bachelor party: they just can't seem to remember what happened the night before, and they have but mere hours in which to figure it out and get the groom to the altar. That might have been the start of a hilarious movie all can enjoy. Instead, the movie fell to a level of crassness and crude humor that degrades its audience more than it entertains. In this respect, the movie fails to offer a comedy that will entertain many members of its intended audience not deterred by the R-rating. This movie, by the way, should have been rated NC-17, which I found to be deceptive. Shame on the MPAA - it has lost all sense of morality and ethics.

PROS: Funny premise and clever dialogue, with competent performances by all actors. Well directed, technically speaking. The solution to the mystery of what happened to the groom is also unique and, in many ways, genuinely funny without being crass or crude.

CONS: Nudity, foul language, violence, pornographic content, drug use, glorification of prostitution, and a dark display of amorality that will leave you wishing you could forget having ever seen it.

FINAL THOUGHT: Do NOT take minors to see this film. Do NOT see this film if you are offended by any of the above. We do not make recommendations that people go see any given movie or refrain from going to see any given movie, but, trust me, as a Christian, you will be embarrassed and ashamed to have seen this piece of garbage. I know that I am. So, just short of telling you not to go see this movie, I encourage you to read this review and make the right decision on your own.

BOTTOM LINE: 2/5.

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