Saw The Hangover as part of a sneak peak. Seeing the previews and that it’s director also did Old School, I was expecting a lot and wasn’t let down. It has the off beat characters, cameos, and unexpected jokes but doesn’t crush that under too much plot. It somehow also manages to not go off the deep end chasing jokes.
The plot’s pretty simplistic and set up in the first minute. Most comedies deal with character growth – redemption, overcoming a fear, etc. however this one is more akin to an action movie. It’s better for hanging the jokes and doesn’t suffer the third act lag as the character growth comes in.
That said a couple of times it also goes into some uncomfortable territory, especially for mainstream audiences. It’s no Observe and Report where the majority of the movie is spent there, but it does seem to be the trend these days.