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The Hangover's current US gross stands at over $180 million, and still going strong. Though not completely unheard-of for a comedy (for example, Wedding Crashers managed more than $200m in 2005), it is nevertheless extremely impressive and a rare feat. On the current list of all films released in 2009, it currently ranks as the fifth highest earner, but everything above it in the list, including Star Trek and Transformers 2 is a mega-blockbuster, with hundreds of millions of dollars in budgetary and marketing expenditure behind them. Therefore their profit margins have nothing on The Hangover's, which cost a relatively meagre $35 million (a total that still seems a lot considering the content of the film, but I digress). It's the definition of a breakout hit, which, while not completely unforeseen - very positive word of mouth had been building for weeks based on a series of preview screenings - is still more than anyone could have realistically expected.
All of this is perhaps beside the point, but what these figures do prove is that the film has been sending the punters away happy, and more and more have kept coming, presumably based on recommendation from friends. With this in mind, it's hard not to feel a slight sense of disappointment upon finally watching this raucous comedy - it's good, consistently amusing, but contains nothing that suggests long-term genre classic status. None of the characters, while all well played and all likeable in their own way, are memorable: there's no McLovin here, or even a standout cameo that steals the show. Throughout there are plenty of chuckles and entertainingly absurd situations, but true belly laughs are absent.
The premise is ripe for humour, but ultimately proves to be funnier on paper than in execution. The setup is in some ways reminiscent of Sideways, only with protagonists at least a decade younger, and a different destination: a group of male friends take a groom-to-be for a pre-wedding road trip, but instead of heading for wine country (as one of the guys tells his girlfriend they are doing), they go to Vegas. The actual night of revelry is skipped over, and we just see the aftermath: a wrecked hotel suite, a baby in a cupboard, a tiger in the bathroom, and a missing groom. All of that, and no memory whatsoever of how they find themselves in this mess. The gang slowly piece together what happened the night before in order to search for their lost buddy, and a picture emerges of a stag night to end all stag nights. As the revelations keep on piling up - involving an impromptu marriage, Mike Tyson, and irate Chinese gangsters - it's always funny, but never quite reaches the potential that the synopsis indicates it might. That phenomenal word of mouth may have worked against the film, increasing expectations for a film that is an endearing diversion but nothing special.
The summary
Divorced from any inflated expectations, The Hangover is funny, well-paced and likeable, but hardly a laugh riot.
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