--- title: "The Hangover" year: 2009 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-hangover" fi1m_score: 72 critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 16 published: "2026-09-20T09:47:54.860630+00:00" updated: "2026-09-20T09:48:07.207432+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Hangover (2009) Directed by Todd Phillips · 1h 40m · MPA R · Comedy **Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 74 from 16 reviews *In a sentence:* Stu the dentist wakes without a tooth, and it is not even the worst thing missing from the suite > Todd Phillips skips the stag night and shows the morning after, which is the better idea. Fast, well built and frequently funny, with Zach Galifianakis stealing it from his co-leads; also lazy with its women and lazier with Mr. Chow. ## Synopsis Two days before his wedding to Tracy Garner (Sasha Barrese), Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) drives to Las Vegas for a stag night with Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), a schoolteacher, and Stu Price (Ed Helms), a dentist who has told his girlfriend Melissa (Rachael Harris) they are going to wine country. Along for the ride is Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis), the bride’s brother. They borrow a Mercedes from the bride’s father, Sid (Jeffrey Tambor), check into a suite at Caesars Palace and raise a glass on the roof. The next morning the suite is wrecked. There is a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the wardrobe and a chicken on the floor, Stu is missing a tooth, and Doug is gone. Nobody remembers a thing, and the wedding will not wait. ## Review Todd Phillips has found the one structural idea a stag-night comedy needed, which is to cut the stag night out. *The Hangover* opens with the drive to Las Vegas, a toast on a hotel roof, and then a hard cut to the morning, when three men wake up in a wrecked suite with a tiger, a chicken, a baby and no groom. The rest of the film is the search, and Jon Lucas and Scott Moore’s script turns it into a detective story in which every clue points to something the men did and cannot remember. It is a good idea, cleanly carried out, and the result is fast, frequently funny and worth your evening if the genre is yours. It is also careless with its women and lazy about its one Chinese character, and we will come to that. Lawrence Sher shoots the morning after in the flat white light of a desert noon, so that the men squint through most of the film and the Strip looks like what it is, a car park with fountains. Bill Brzeski’s suite is the best joke in the design: a wide villa of marble and cream leather, trashed with a thoroughness that makes the tiger seem reasonable. Louise Mingenbach puts Alan in a shirt one size too small and a leather satchel he insists is the sort Indiana Jones wears. The costume does half the character before he speaks. Zach Galifianakis is the reason people talk about this film, and they are right. Alan Garner is the bride’s brother, a bearded man who is not allowed within a certain distance of schools, and Galifianakis plays him without a wink. When he announces on the roof that he is a one-man wolf pack, he means it. We laughed harder at him than at anything else on screen, and we laughed most when he was saying the least. It is a performance built out of pauses and the wrong facial expression. Bradley Cooper’s Phil is the handsome one, a schoolteacher who treats the weekend as a right rather than a treat. Cooper plays him with a grin that never becomes a smile, and he is better than the part. Ed Helms has the harder job and does it well. Stu is a dentist who has lied to his girlfriend about where he is, and Helms plays every discovery, the missing tooth first among them, as a man watching his own life happen from a short distance. His panic is the film’s engine. Then there are the women. Rachael Harris’s Melissa is the nagging girlfriend drawn in a single stroke, a woman who exists to be escaped from. Heather Graham’s Jade is a stripper with a baby and a heart of gold, and the script gives her nothing a poster could not. Sasha Barrese, as the bride, waits by a phone. Ken Jeong’s Mr. Chow is a different problem. Jeong is quick and completely fearless, and the character he has been handed is a shrieking gangster whose accent is the joke. We laughed, then felt slightly ashamed of ourselves, and the film, unlike Jeong, does not seem to have noticed there was anything to be ashamed of. Phillips made *Road Trip* and [*Old School*](https://film.one/film/old-school), and this is tighter than either. Debra Neil-Fisher cuts it to 100 minutes and the search never stalls; each clue leads to the next room, the next car, the next person with a grievance, and the film is over before the formula shows. Christophe Beck’s score stays out of the way of the songs, which is the right call. The plotting is a checklist rather than a story, and by the last third we could feel the boxes being ticked, but they are ticked quickly. Watch it with people who will shout at the tiger. Alone on a sofa, sober, you will notice how much of it is men being loud, and how little the film has to say about why they wanted this weekend so badly in the first place. It does not care, and for most of the 100 minutes we did not either. *Fi1m score 72, published 20 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like it, and the praise clusters in the same place. The reviews call it consistently, sometimes painfully funny, and credit the structure: skipping the night itself and starting with the morning after keeps the stag-do premise from feeling tired. The cast gets the rest of the credit. Nearly every review names Zach Galifianakis as the discovery, and several praise the easy chemistry between the three leads and Ken Jeong’s turn as Mr Chow. The reservations are about what the jokes are aimed at. Slant and Time Out both object to how the film treats women, and Slant adds Asians and gay men to the list; Time Out finds the characters unlikeable and the gags tired. The New York Times wonders whether the laughs survive a second look. A smaller group, Den of Geek among them, finds it solid rather than exceptional, with chuckles more than belly laughs. The spread is wide, but the bottom is thinly populated: one negative review among sixteen. ### Reviews we read (16) - **Empire**, Simon Braund (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a furiously paced, inventive and flat-out hilarious take on a tried-and-tested formula that maintains heart alongside the laughs. The effortless chemistry between the leads, especially the star-making turn by Galifianakis, is highlighted as a key strength. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hangover-review/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, THR Staff (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a piercingly funny, twisted caper that makes full use of its R rating. They single out the crack ensemble cast, especially Zach Galifianakis's breakout turn, and the director's deadpan comic timing. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/hangover-film-review-93225/) - **The Independent** (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a surprising and consistently hilarious comedy that avoids clichés by skipping the night of debauchery and focusing on the aftermath. The inventive structure, creative exploration of Vegas misadventures, and strong performances from the unknown cast are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/red-cliff-john-woo-148-mins-15-the-hangover-todd-phillips-100-mins-15-1704553.html) - **Little White Lies**, Limara Salt (3/4/4): The critic finds it a genuinely funny and consistently entertaining Hollywood comedy that puts a fresh spin on the stag do premise. Everything from characters to set-ups and lines works well. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-hangover) - **Radio Times**, Karen Krizanovich (4/5): The critic praises this inventive and cleverly plotted comedy that blends deadpan and hysterical moments without relying on cheap gross-out humor. The wild stag-do mishaps and situations are believably funny. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-2pzybu/the-hangover/) - **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a proudly inappropriate comedy buoyed by a clever script and strong chemistry among the male leads that elicits steady laughs from its raucous Vegas premise. It should play well with audiences. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-hangover/5001545.article) - **The Guardian** (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film crass and offensive as expected from a Vegas frat-boy comedy but also really very funny and bizarrely gripping much of the time. They single out the uproarious performance of Ken Jeong as the camp Chinese gangster Mr Chow for particular praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jun/12/film-review-the-hangover) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (70/100, inferred): The film is often very funny, thanks in part to the three lead actors who bring freshness to familiar masculine stereotypes. It delivers crude humor leavened by inventiveness and wit, though its appeal may fade upon closer examination of what prompts the laughter. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/movies/05hang.html) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (70/100, inferred): The critic calls it a frat-boy comedy high on befuddled charm with easygoing chemistry between the leads and gags that are often hot though sometimes not, resulting in a sweetly raucous overall effect. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/comedy/article/the-hangover-3vx00z6w27s) - **Slant Magazine** (50/100, inferred): The critic sees it as the apotheosis of gonzo male camaraderie fantasies, praising Galifianakis's showcase of weird one-liners and the pile-up of outrageous revelations. They complain about the slandering of Asians, gays, and women as shrill nags along with a predictable narrative. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-hangover/) - **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film obnoxious and crass with an unpleasant attitude toward women, wasting its intriguing premise on unlikeable characters and tired gags. Only a few performances stand out amid the aggression. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-hangover-1) - **Digital Spy**, Simon Reynolds (85/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a gut-bustingly funny boy's own comedy and probably Phillips' funniest film to date, highlighting his skill at turning bawdy concepts into crowdpleasers and the standout cast performances. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a156852/the-hangover/) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B+): The critic calls "The Hangover" rude, loud, and painfully hilarious, a contender for the funniest film of the year despite upcoming comedies. They single out Zach Galifianakis's impeccable comedic timing as the main reason to see it. [Read](https://collider.com/the-hangover-review/) - **The Playlist**, Rodrigo Perez (B): The critic finds the film frequently amusing and entertaining with some riotous laughs, particularly from Galifianakis, but far from a comedy classic or perfect execution. He singles out the improvisational moments and closing credits as highlights amid an otherwise above-average but unremarkable frat comedy. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/hangover-is-not-stone-cold-comedy-20090604/) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's unexpected intelligence and character depth in a mainstream comedy about a disastrous stag night in Vegas. She singles out the sharp script, realistic tone, and observational humor about male friendships and shared failure. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-hangover-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) - **Den of Geek**, Simon Brew (3/5): The critic finds The Hangover a solid but not exceptional comedy that falls short of Phillips' earlier work like Old School, with chuckles rather than belly laughs. Strong lead performances, especially from Galifianakis, are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-hangover-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Todd Phillips - **Director:** Todd Phillips - **Writer:** Jon Lucas, Scott Moore - **Cinematography:** Lawrence Sher - **Editor:** Debra Neil-Fisher - **Music:** Christophe Beck - **Production design:** Bill Brzeski - **Costume design:** Louise Mingenbach - **Producer:** Daniel Goldberg, Todd Phillips - **Cast:** Bradley Cooper as Phil Wenneck; Ed Helms as Stu Price; Zach Galifianakis as Alan Garner; Justin Bartha as Doug Billings; Heather Graham as Jade; Sasha Barrese as Tracy Garner; Jeffrey Tambor as Sid Garner; Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow - **Runtime:** 1h 40m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 5 June 2009 - **Genres:** Comedy - **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Winner, 2009) - **Budget:** $35 million - **Box office:** $469 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj6wcUes1no ## Where to watch in the US - Paramount+: streaming, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Hulu: add-on, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: rent $5.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-20.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *After Hours* (1985), Fi1m 80: Scorsese’s one long bad night in Manhattan, with the panic played straight. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/after-hours.md) - *Very Bad Things* (1998): The Vegas stag night as horror film; nobody comes out of it well. - *Bridesmaids* (2011), Fi1m 82: The same hangover from the other side of the aisle, and kinder about it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bridesmaids.md) - *Superbad* (2007), Fi1m 82: One night, one party, and two boys who talk more than they act. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/superbad.md) - *Withnail and I* (1987), Fi1m 88: Two men, one long weekend, no plan; the British hangover comedy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/withnail-and-i.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-hangover