The Hangover (Blu-ray)

Despite the erratic track record of director Todd Phillips (helmer of the excellent Starsky And Hutch and the not so excellent School For Scoundrels) and the fairly dismal résumé of writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (purveyors of recent underwhelming comedies such as Four Christmases and Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past), a certain spark was inexplicably ignited when the trio came together for The Hangover, and the film became the surprise smash of last summer and a hit with the critics.

The story focuses on a group of friends who travel to Vegas for a pre- marriage blow-out. However, during the course of the alcohol-infused evening, suave party animal Phil (Cooper), uptight dentist Stu (Pearce) and socially awkward (and possibly mental) Alan (Galifianakis) lose the groom-to-be, and must re-trace their steps to find their missing pal. However, as the clues lead them to the hospital, a stripper’s apartment and the home of Mike Tyson, finding the missing member of their party proves to be a little more problematic than the three friends had anticipated.

While this snort-inducing take on the buddy comedy/road trip/bachelor party formula lacks true originality and sophistication, The Hangover boasts plenty of heart as well as humour, making this a surprisingly endearing and fresh take on an old concept.

Adding to the film’s appeal is the excellent cast, with Cooper, Bartha and Galifianakis generating great chemistry together onscreen (Galifianakis’ charmingly sweet breakthrough performance will certainly see him go places), while a surreal yet balls-achingly hilarious cameo from the brilliant Ken Jeong provides more than a few comedy highlights.

The Blu-ray includes both the theatrical and ‘unrated’ versions of the film (the latter adds about eight extra minutes of additional footage) plus a whole host of extras, including an entertaining PiP commentary (on the theatrical cut only), and a few featurettes, the highlight being the improv skills of Ken Leong on the ‘The Madness Of Ken Jeong’ featurette.

Both the audio and visual quality on The Hangover Blu-ray is terrific. Dialogue is clear and crisp and the music is well balanced and strongly executed throughout. The picture is sharp, clean and free of any defects, while the picture boasts excellent lifelike detail on the actors’ faces. An all-round high-quality hi-def treat.

Overall Verdict: The Hangover is one wild ride, and the Blu-ray does a bang-up job with the visuals and audio.

Special Features:
PiP Video Commentary With Cast And Director
‘Map Of Destruction’ Feature
‘The Madness Of Ken Jeong’ Featurette
‘Action Mash-Up’ Featurette
‘The Best Friends’ Song
‘The Dan Band!’ Featurette
Gag Reel
More Pictures From The Missing Camera
BD-Live

Reviewer: Lee Griffiths