The Hangover

The Hangover (2009)
Directed by Todd Phillips. Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zack Galifianakas, Ken Jeong, and Justin Bartha

This is the ultimate high-concept film. A high-concept plot or pitch refers to a storyline that can easily and succinctly be summarized. A classic example is: Jaws - "what if a shark attacks?" High-concept movies have become more and more basic... Speed can be described as "Die Hard on a bus," while for movies like Snakes On A Plane and Cowboys & Aliens, well, it's all in the title. The Hangover is similar to these last to examples. The entire film's plot revolves around the hilarious consequences of a drunk night in Vegas -- the whole film is about a hangover.

This simplicity isn't a bad thing -- and there's no denying that this is a very funny movie. In fact, having such a simple idea at the base of this movie allows the plot to "get out of the way." This, in turn, enables the zany antics of the three main stars to take over and to be as hilarious as they are. The Hangover was the first thing I turned to when my summer vacation started, and as a mindless, ridiculous, over-the-top comedy, it certainly delivered. The central conceit, though actually explained by the end of the film, is that these three friends cannot remember what happened to them during the previous wild night. Thus, among other things, they cannot explain why their fourth friend, who is due at his own wedding very soon, is missing. They also don't know why they have a baby and a tiger in their hotel room, and why one of them is missing a tooth and wearing a wedding ring. (All this is in the trailer -- as I've said, it's really not the plot that matters, so it's not something I can "spoil.")

Though this movie is well on its way to becoming a franchise with the sequel that was released earlier this year, this was by no means a typical Hollywood comedy that was assured success. The three actors main actors were basically unknowns (though now of course, they're big stars)... and R-rated comedies without the name Judd Apatow attached to them typically stay small. So, I think it's safe to say that it was a big surprise when this went on to be the highest grossing R-rated film of all time.

Many movies in today's film industryare becoming increasingly complex... which is great! Films like Inception cannot easily be boiled down to a one-sentence pitch, which makes them interesting to watch. Still, balance in Hollywood is key, so a film that's so unabashedly basic... "what if three men wake up with the worst hangover ever?" yet still creative and comedic is a real gem.