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The Hangover Review

Movies.com Critics

3.5

Dave White Profile

Needs a few more shots. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 4.0
    73

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Generally favorable reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 70

    out of 100

    The New York Times A.O. Scott

    But true to its title, The Hangover goes down smoothly enough and then kicks you in the head later on, when you start to examine the sources of your laughter.

    Read Full Review

  • 75

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

    Overall it's more amusing than hilarious.

    Read Full Review

  • 75

    out of 100

    USA Today Claudia Puig

    Director Todd Phillips (Old School) has a knack for extreme scenarios and outside-the-box casting. He has made a movie that is consistently funny from start to finish.

    Read Full Review

  • 80

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times

    There is a sort of perverse brilliance or brilliant perverseness to be found in this story of a bachelor party gone terribly wrong.

    Read Full Review

  • 88

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    A funny movie, flat out, all the way through. Its setup is funny. Every situation is funny. Most of the dialogue is funny almost line by line.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    Variety Joe Leydon

    At once raucously free-wheeling and meticulously contrived, picture satisfies as a boys-gone-wild laff riot that also clicks as a seriocomic beat-the-clock detective story.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

    A piercingly funny, twisted "whatever-happens-in-Vegas" caper.

    Read Full Review

  • See all The Hangover reviews at Metacritic.com

For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 17+

Funny, yes, but chock-full of alcohol-fueled adult content.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this hilarious but extremely raunchy comedy from the director of Old School is decidedly not for younger teens. Let's face it: The movie's whole premise involves drinking and being drugged. There's lots of comedic violence, sex, substance abuse, and over-the-top language. While you could stretch and suggest that there's a message about friendship and responsibility, that's like suggesting that Twinkies and soda contain some vitamin C. Still, this movie is turning out to be the teen buzz movie of the summer of 2009. Parents also need to know that this review is for the rated version of this film. 

  • Families can talk about the ritual of the bachelor party -- is it a chance for real bonding or simple immature excess?
  • Families can also discuss the image of Las Vegas as a playground forgrown-ups; how much of that is innocent fun, and how much of it issimply seedy marketing language?
  • Finally, families can talk about the film's excessive depiction of violence, sex, and substance abuse -- is the film condoning or glorifying this kind of behavior?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: The movie's message is, at best, a little muddled; while the three main characters pay a price for their misadventures -- beatings, dehydration, sunburn, and more -- everything works out well in the end.

  • rolemodels true0

    Role models: Friends act despicably, but pay the price. While some female characters are depicted as life partners andpositive influences, some are depicted as nagging harridans or simple sex objects.

What to watch for
  • violence false3

    Violence: Beatings, vehicular mayhem, the use of stun guns on "volunteers" in front of children (with children, in two cases, operating the stun guns/tazers), beatings with crowbars, and a gunshot wound to an innocent bystander. One character spends much of the film lamenting an excised tooth -- a bleeding, gaping wreck of a lost incisor. Some gunplay. A baby is hit in the head with a car door and is present during a few scenes of peril.

  • sex false4

    Sex: Extensive male and female nudity, including nude buttocks and breasts. Discussion of sexual acts, techniques, and one character's work as an "escort." Photos of nudity and explicit sexual acts (including glimpsed male genitalia) in the closing-credits montage. Explicit discussions of infidelity, one-night stands, and other acts. Mimed mock bestiality for comedic effects. A character notes that he cannot be within 200 yards of  "A school ... or a Chuck E. Cheese," implying that he's on some kind of serial offender watchlist.

  • language false5

    Language: Extensive, inventive, and constant vulgarity, including "f--k" and its derivations, "ass," "f--got," "douchebag," "whore," "gay," "hell," "shaft," "s--t," "Jesus," "semen," "retard," "bitch," "goddamn," "oh my God," "butt," "weenus," "bastard," "balls," "assholes," "nuts,"  and much, much more.

  • consumerism false2

    Consumerism: Mentions and on-screen display of brands includes many mentioned as plot points, including Caesar's Palace, Mercedes-Benz, Chuck E. Cheese, Rogaine, Monster Energy Drink, Gremlins, Indiana Jones, Rain Man, Jagermeister, Carnival Cruises, and more.

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: The entire film revolves around excessive drinking and drug abuse. Characters drink beer, wine, and hard liquor to excess. A character thinks he's giving his friends Ecstasy without their consent but is, in fact, giving them "Roofies," the "date rape drug." Mentions of cocaine, crystal meth, and crank abuse. Drunk driving is implied. Photos in the closing-credits montage depict cocaine use. Reference to marijuana. It's worth noting that the brutal consequences of drug and alcohol abuse -- aches, memory loss, vomiting, humiliation, and despair -- are depicted unflinchingly.

Fan Reviews provided by

5

Funny Movie by cooperthierjung
The Hangover is no doubt about it, one of the funniest movies of the century. It makes me laugh every time I see it. Zach Galifianakis is funny as hell in this movie. This is a definate MUST GO movie

2

The I-wish-it-was-OVER by kraduate
::shrugs:: No, I didn't find it funny. I did not laugh once. Humor is subjective, isn't it? A lot of my frustration with this movie is over the fact that I receive a lot of criticism for not liking it. As if my opinion could not possibly be valid because I don't agree with the vast majority. Well, I never cared much for what the vast majority thinks. I guess I'm not much of a fan of any bachelor party movies or guy bonding films or, especially, drinking or drug humor movies. (with the exception of Harold and Kumar and Dude, Where's My Car?) The Hangover's jokes are not funny to me. The plot is meh. And I cannot relate with any of the characters. The humor felt so forced I was actually embarrassed for everyone involved.

5

Sooo funny by TerpsFan72
One of my all time favorite comedies, and holds up amazingly well with repeat viewings and I mean repeat viewings, lol. I've probably seen this movie at least 20 times now. Every time I'm flipping through cable and see it on I'll stop and watch at last 10-15 minutes of it, even more so if it's during some my favorite scenes, which is almost every scene.

5

The Hangover Movie Review by Asianfreak
100 out of 100 This a non-stop laugh-out-loud farce comedy ever!

4

by carefreez

5

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