The Hangover
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''The Hangover'' is a 2009 American
comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Todd Phillips Todd Phillips (born Todd Philip Bunzl; December 19, 1970) is an American filmmaker. Phillips began his career in 1993 and directed films in the 2000s such as ''Road Trip'', '' Old School'', ''Starsky & Hutch'', and '' School for Scoundrels''. ...
, and written by
Jon Lucas Jonathan Lucas (born October 29, 1975) is an American film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his collaborative work with Scott Moore, which includes ''The Hangover'', '' 21 & Over'' and '' Bad Moms''. Life and career He is a gra ...
and Scott Moore. It is the first installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy. The film stars
Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...
,
Ed Helms Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor, musician and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sit ...
,
Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (; born October 1, 1969) is an American actor, comedian and writer. The accolades he has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award. Galifianakis ...
,
Heather Graham Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. The accolades she has received include nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and an Independent Spirit Award. After appearing in tel ...
,
Justin Bartha Justin Lee Bartha (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. In film, Bartha has played Riley Poole in the ''National Treasure'' film series and Doug Billings in ''The Hangover'' trilogy. His television roles include David Sawyer in the NBC c ...
, and
Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...
. It tells the story of Phil Wenneck (Cooper), Stu Price (Helms), Alan Garner (Galifianakis), and Doug Billings (Bartha), who travel to
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
for a
bachelor party A bachelor party (in the United States), also known as a stag weekend, stag do or stag party (in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and Ireland), or a buck's night (in Australia and Canada), is a party held for or arranged by a man wh ...
to celebrate Doug's impending marriage. However, Phil, Stu, and Alan wake up with Doug missing and
no memory ''No Memory'' is the debut studio album by American indie rock band No. 2, released in 1999 by record label Chainsaw. Content Elliott Smith, No. 2 frontman Neil Gust's former Heatmiser bandmate, performs backing vocals on "Critical Mass" as ...
of the previous night's events, and must find Doug before the wedding can take place. Lucas and Moore wrote the script after executive producer Chris Bender's friend disappeared and had a large bill after being sent to a strip club. After Lucas and Moore sold it to the studio for $2million, Phillips and
Jeremy Garelick Jeremy Garelick (born November 30, 1975) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Early life Garelick was born in New York City. He attended Yale University and graduated in Film Studies. He is of Jewish background. Career After grad ...
rewrote the script to include a tiger as well as a
subplot In fiction, a subplot or side story is a strand of the plot that is a supporting side story for any story or for the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or thematic significance. Subplots often involve supporti ...
involving a baby and a police cruiser, and also including boxer
Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
.
Filming Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sensor or light-s ...
took place in Nevada for 15 days, and during filming, the three main actors (Cooper, Helms, and Galifianakis) formed a real friendship. ''The Hangover'' was released on June 5, 2009, and was a critical and commercial success. The film became the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2009, with a worldwide gross of over $467million. The film won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy The Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy is a Golden Globe Award that has been awarded annually since 1952 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Eligibility Eligible films must be at least 70 minutes in ...
, and received multiple other accolades. It became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy ever in the United States, surpassing a record previously held by ''
Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Det ...
'' for almost 25 years. The film was followed by two
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
s: ''
The Hangover Part II ''The Hangover Part II'' is a 2011 American comedy film produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The sequel to the 2009 film ''The Hangover'' and the second installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy, the film wa ...
'' (2011) and ''
The Hangover Part III ''The Hangover Part III'' is a 2013 American comedy film produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the third and final installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy and the sequel to ''The Hangover Part II'' (2 ...
'' (2013). Both were commercial successes, but neither were well-received critically.


Plot

Two days before his wedding,
bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and never has been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...
Doug Billings travels to
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
with his best friends Phil Wenneck, a teacher, Stu Price, a dentist, and Alan Garner, his
eccentric Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off- center, in geometry * Eccentricity (graph theory) of a ...
future brother-in-law. Sid, the father of Doug's fiancée, Tracy, loans Doug his vintage
Mercedes-Benz W111 : ''See Mercedes-Benz S-Class for a complete overview of all S-Class models.'' The Mercedes-Benz W111 is a line of full-sized luxury cars produced by Mercedes-Benz between 1959 and 1971, including four-door saloons (1959–1968) and two-door cou ...
to drive to Vegas. They book a suite at
Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...
and celebrate by sneaking onto the hotel rooftop and drinking
Jägermeister ( , ) is a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices. Developed in 1934 by Wilhelm and Curt Mast, it has an alcohol by volume of 35% ( 61 degrees proof, or US 70 proof). The recipe has not changed since its creation, and the drink contin ...
. The next day, Phil, Stu, and Alan awaken, unable to remember the previous night. The suite is a mess, Stu's tooth is missing, a
Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late ...
is in the bathroom, a baby is in the closet, and Doug is nowhere to be found. They see Doug's mattress impaled on a statue outside, and when they ask for their Mercedes, the valet delivers a Las Vegas police cruiser. Retracing their steps, the trio travel to a hospital, discovering they were drugged with
Rohypnol Flunitrazepam, sold under the brand name Rohypnol among others, is a benzodiazepine used to treat severe insomnia and assist with anesthesia. As with other hypnotics, flunitrazepam has been advised to be prescribed only for short-term use or by ...
, causing their memory loss, and that they went there from a chapel the previous night. At the chapel, they learn that Stu married a
call girl A call girl or female escort is a prostitute who (unlike a street prostitution, street walker) does not display her profession to the general public, nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by ...
named Jade, despite his relationship with his domineering girlfriend Melissa. Outside the chapel, the trio is ambushed by a gang of men demanding to know where "he" is. Bewildered, they flee and track down Jade, who is revealed to be the baby's mother. The police arrest them for having stolen the cruiser. To get the Mercedes out of impound and an early release, the trio unwittingly volunteer to be targets for a
taser Taser (stylized in all caps) is a line of handheld conducted energy devices (CED) sold by Axon Enterprise (formerly Taser International). The device fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the targe ...
demonstration. While driving the car, they discover a naked Chinese man named Leslie Chow in the trunk, who beats up the trio and flees. Alan confesses that he drugged their drinks to ensure they had a good night, believing the drug to be
ecstasy Ecstasy most often refers to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand o ...
. Returning to their suite, they encounter
Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
, who knocks Alan unconscious and demands they return his tiger. After Stu sedates it, they load it into the Mercedes and drive to Tyson's mansion. The tiger awakens, scratches Phil's neck and damages the car. They push the car to the mansion and deliver the tiger. Tyson shows them security camera footage of their drunken behavior from the night before, revealing they lost Doug only after returning to the hotel. While driving back, their car is rammed by a black
Cadillac Escalade The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury SUV manufactured by General Motors and marketed by their luxury division Cadillac. It was the luxury brand's first major entry into the SUV market. The Escalade was introduced for the 1999 model year ...
manned by Chow and his gang from the chapel. Chow accuses them of kidnapping him and stealing $80,000 in
poker chips Casino chips (also known as poker chips, gaming tokens, or checks/cheques) are small discs used as currency in casinos. Larger, rectangular gaming plaques may be used for high-stakes games. Poker chips are also widely used as play money in ca ...
. As they deny it, he tells them he has Doug and threatens to kill him if the chips are not returned. Unable to find Chow's chips, Alan, with help from Stu and Jade, uses his knowledge of
card counting Card counting is a blackjack betting strategy, strategy used to determine whether the player or the dealer has an advantage on the next hand. Card counters try to overcome the casino house edge by keeping a running count of high and low valued c ...
to win $82,400 playing
blackjack Blackjack (formerly black jack or ''vingt-un'') is a casino banking game. It is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as " twenty-one ...
. They meet Chow in the
Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...
to exchange the chips for Doug, only to find that the "Doug" in question is actually the drug dealer who accidentally sold the wrong drugs to Alan. With the real Doug's wedding set to occur in five hours, Phil calls Tracy to tell her they cannot find him. Simultaneously, Other Doug's remarks that someone who takes roofies is more likely to end up on the floor than on the roof, causes Stu to deduce where Doug is. They rush back to Caesars Palace and find a dazed, sunburned Doug on the roof. He was moved there as a joke, forgetting when the roofies wore off; Doug threw his mattress onto a statue to signal for help. Before leaving, Stu arranges to meet Jade for a date next week. With no flights, the four drive home in the damaged Mercedes, where Doug reveals he has Chow's original $80,000. Despite their late arrival, Doug and Tracy are married. At the reception, Stu gleefully breaks up with Melissa. Alan finds Stu's camera with photos from their Las Vegas night, and they consent to view the pictures before deleting them.


Cast

Todd Phillips Todd Phillips (born Todd Philip Bunzl; December 19, 1970) is an American filmmaker. Phillips began his career in 1993 and directed films in the 2000s such as ''Road Trip'', '' Old School'', ''Starsky & Hutch'', and '' School for Scoundrels''. ...
, the film's director, appears as Mr. Creepy, who appears briefly in an elevator. Professional skateboarder
Mike Vallely Mike Vallely ( ; born 1970), also known as Mike V, is an American professional skateboarder and musician. From 2013 to 2025, he was the lead vocalist of the hardcore punk band Black Flag. Vallely was the second-longest-serving member of the ban ...
portrays Neeco, the high-speed tuxedo delivery man. Las Vegas personalities
Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942), also known as Mr. Las Vegas, is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the United States from the mid-to-late 20th century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in ...
and
Carrot Top Scott Thompson (born February 25, 1965), known professionally as Carrot Top, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is widely known for his use of prop comedy. Early life Thompson was born in Rockledge, Florida, and grew up in Coc ...
appear as themselves in the photo slide show.


Production


Writing

The plot of ''The Hangover'' was inspired by a real event that happened to
Tripp Vinson Tripp Vinson is an American film producer. He is best known for producing the films ''Baywatch (film), Baywatch'', ''San Andreas (film), San Andreas'', ''Journey 2: The Mysterious Island'', ''The Guardian (2006 film), The Guardian'', ''The Number ...
, a producer and friend of executive producer Chris Bender. Vinson had gone missing from his own Las Vegas bachelor party, blacking out and waking up "in a strip club being threatened with a very, very large bill I was supposed to pay". Jon Lucas and Scott Moore sold the original script of ''The Hangover'' to
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
for over $2million. The story was about three friends who lose the groom at his Las Vegas bachelor party and then must retrace their steps to figure out what happened. It was then rewritten by
Jeremy Garelick Jeremy Garelick (born November 30, 1975) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Early life Garelick was born in New York City. He attended Yale University and graduated in Film Studies. He is of Jewish background. Career After grad ...
and director Todd Phillips, who added additional elements such as Mike Tyson and his tiger, the baby, and the police cruiser. However, Lucas and Moore retained writing credit in accordance with the
Writers Guild of America, West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 m ...
's screenwriting credit system.


Casting

Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Bradley Cooper were all casual acquaintances before ''The Hangover'' was filmed, which Helms said he believed helped in establishing a rapport and chemistry amongst their characters. Helms credited Phillips for "bringing together three guys who are really different, but really appreciate each others' humor and sensibilities". Helms also said the fact that the story of the three characters growing closer and bonding forged the friendship between the three actors: "As you spend 14hours a day together for three months, you see a lot of sides of somebody. We went through the wringer together, and that shared experience really made us genuine buddies."
Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...
was in talks with Phillips for the role of Jade in the film but was ultimately not cast due to being considered too young for what was discussed.


Filming

On a budget of $35million,
principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
took place in
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
for fifteen days. ''The Hangover'' was mostly filmed on location at Caesars Palace, including the front desk, lobby, suite, entrance drive, pools, corridors, elevators, and roof, but the suite damaged in the film was built on a
soundstage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...
. While the hospital, the police station, Mike Tyson's house and several interior scenes were filmed on soundstages in the Los Angeles area, other Vegas locations included the exteriors of
Atomic Liquors Atomic Liquors is a bar in Las Vegas, Nevada, opened April 17, 1954. In the popular culture, Atomic Liquors is the "oldest freestanding bar in Las Vegas," with its established date erroneously stated as 1952, and is said to be "the first business ...
and the El Cortez Hotel and Casino on Fremont Street. The Bungalows Hostel (then known as Hostel Cat) featured a facade built by the production team to appear as a wedding chapel. Jade's home was depicted at the
Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel The Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel was a hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, near the Las Vegas Strip. It was owned and operated by Station Casinos. While the casino and adjoining 260-room hotel were relatively small, the site is over i ...
, and Alan is portrayed counting cards while playing blackjack at
The Riviera () is an Italian word which means , ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria (the Genoa region in northwestern Italy) in the form , then shortened in English. Riviera may a ...
; both buildings have since been demolished. The scene where Mr. Chow jumps out of the trunk of the Mercedes-Benz 220SE and assaults the protagonists with a crowbar was filmed at the intersection of East Mandalay Bay Road and Haven Street, which remains a dirt lot adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip. Since there was a
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
in the real suite, Phillips allowed Helms to improvise a scene with the piano on the soundstage, which became known as "Stu's song" in the film. According to Helms in a 2011 interview on ''
The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton ...
'', he had to be tutored on how to use a piano for the scene. Helms said filming ''The Hangover'' was more physically demanding than any other role he had done, and that he lost eight pounds while making the film. He said the most difficult day of shooting was the scene when Mr. Chow rams his car and attacks the main characters, which Helms said required many takes and was very painful, such as when a few of the punches and kicks accidentally landed and when his knees and shins were hurt while being pulled out of a window. The missing tooth was not created with
prosthetics In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...
or
visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...
, but is naturally occurring: Helms never had an adult
incisor Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, wher ...
grow, and got a dental implant as a teenager, which was removed for filming. Jeong stated that his jumping on Cooper's neck naked wasn't a part of the script, but rather improvisation on their part. It was added with Phillips' blessing. Jeong also stated that he had to receive his wife's permission to appear nude in the film. Phillips tried to convince the actors to allow him to use a real Taser until Warner Bros. lawyers intervened. Regarding the explicit shots in the final photo slide show in which his character is seen receiving
fellatio Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act consisting of the stimulation of a human penis, penis by using the mouth. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may also be termed ''fellat ...
in an elevator, Galifianakis confirmed that a prosthesis was used for the scene, and that he had been more embarrassed than anyone else during the creation of the shot. "You would think that I wouldn't be the one who was embarrassed; I was extremely embarrassed. I really didn't even want it in there. I offered Todd's assistant a lot of money to convince him to take it out of the movie. I did. But it made it in there." The scenes involving animals were filmed mostly with trained animals. Trainers and safety equipment were digitally removed from the final version. Some prop animals were used, such as when the tiger was hidden under a sheet and being moved on a baggage cart. Such efforts were given an "Outstanding" rating by the
American Humane Association The American Humane Society (previously American Humane), is an American animal welfare organization founded in 1877 that works to rescue, care for, and protect animals by taking action wherever and whenever they are in need. It was previously ...
for the monitoring and treatment of the animals.


Music

The film's score was composed by
Christophe Beck Jean-Christophe Beck (born in 1968) is a Canadian television and film score composer. He is best known for his collaborations with Disney and its subsidiaries, which include composing the soundtracks of '' The Muppets'' (2011) and '' Muppets Mos ...
. The film featured 20 songs, consisting of music by
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
, Danzig,
The Donnas The Donnas were an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1993. The band consisted of Brett Anderson (lead vocals), Allison Robertson (guitar, backing vocals), Maya Ford (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Torry Castellano (dr ...
, Usher,
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
,
The Belle Stars The Belle Stars were a British pop/rock band. Formed in 1980, they are best known for their 1983 hit single " Sign of the Times" as well as their cover of "Iko Iko" originally released in 1982 and featured on the soundtrack to the film ''Rai ...
,
T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...
,
Wolfmother Wolfmother is an Australian hard rock band from Sydney. Formed in 2004, the group is centred around vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, who is the only constant member of the line-up. The band has been through many personnel changes since t ...
and The Dan Band, who tend to feature in Phillips' films as the inappropriate, bad-mouthed wedding band. The Dan Band's cover of the
50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...
single "
Candy Shop "Candy Shop" is the second single by rapper 50 Cent from his second commercial album, ''The Massacre'' (2005). It features Olivia and was written by 50 Cent and the song's producer, Scott Storch. The single was released through Interscope Re ...
" appeared in ''Part I.'' Pro-skater and punk musician Mike Vallely was invited with his band, Revolution Mother, to write a song for the film and also makes a cameo appearance as the high speed tuxedo delivery guy. "
Right Round "Right Round" is a single performed by American rapper Flo Rida featuring guest vocals from American singer Kesha. It was released as the lead Single (music), single from his second studio album, ''R.O.O.T.S.'' (2009). It was released to radio ...
" by
Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...
is played over the ending credits. The film uses the Kanye West song "
Can't Tell Me Nothing "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his third studio album, ''Graduation'' (2007). The song contains additional vocals from Young Jeezy and Connie Mitchell. It was produced by West with DJ Toomp with West bei ...
" for which Zach Galifianakis made an alternative music video.


Release


Box office

''The Hangover'' was a financial success. , it had grossed $467,416,722, of which $277,322,503 was in Canada and the United States. It was the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2009 in the world, the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2009 in the United States and the highest-grossing R-rated comedy ever in the United States, surpassing a record previously held by ''
Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Det ...
'' for almost 25years. Out of all R-rated films, it is the sixth-highest-grossing ever in the United States, behind ''
The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson from a screenplay he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald. It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as the Bl ...
'', ''
Deadpool Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is ...
'', ''
American Sniper ''American Sniper'' is a 2014 American Biographical film, biographical War film, war drama film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood and written and executive-produced by Jason Hall (screenwriter), Jason Hall, based on the memoir American ...
'', '' It'' and ''
The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, L ...
''. However, adjusted for inflation ''The Hangover'' earned less than half the total earned by ''Beverly Hills Cop'' and is out grossed by several comedies, including ''
Porky's ''Porky's'' is a 1981 sex comedy film written and directed by Bob Clark about the escapades of teenagers in 1954 at the fictional Angel Beach High School in Florida. The film stars Kim Cattrall, Scott Colomby, Kaki Hunter, Nancy Parsons, Alex Ka ...
''. On its first day of release in the United States, the film drew $16,734,033 on approximately 4,500screens at 3,269sites, and exceeded the big-budgeted ''
Land of the Lost Land of the Lost may refer to: Film and television Film * Land of the Lost (film), ''Land of the Lost'' (film), a 2009 American comedy * ''The Land of the Lost'', a 1914 film starring Arthur Donaldson (actor), Arthur Donaldson * ''The Land of the ...
—''the other major new release of the weekend—for first day's box office takings. Although initial studio projections had the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
·
Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
film '' Up'' holding on to the number one slot for a second consecutive weekend, final revised figures, bolstered by a surprisingly strong Sunday showing, ultimately had ''The Hangover'' finishing first for the weekend, with $44,979,319 from3,269 theaters, averaging $13,759 per venue, narrowly edging out ''Up'' for the top spot, and more than twice that of ''Land of the Lost'', which finished third with $18.8million. The film exceeded Warner Bros.' expectations—which had anticipated it would finish third behind ''Up'' and ''Land of the Lost''—benefiting from positive
word-of-mouth Word of mouth is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others a ...
and critical praise, and a generally negative buzz for ''Land of the Lost''. It stayed at the number one position in its second weekend, grossing another $32,794,387, from 3,355theaters for an average of $9,775 per venue, and bringing the 10-day amount to $104,768,489.


Home media

''The Hangover'' was released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
,
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
, and UMD on December 15, 2009 by
Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...
. There is a single-disc theatrical version featuring both fullscreen and widescreen options (DVD only), as well as a widescreen two-disc unrated version of the film, also containing the theatrical version (DVD, Blu-ray, and UMD). The unrated version is approximately seven minutes longer than the theatrical version. The unrated version is on disc one and the theatrical version, digital copy, and the different features are on disc two. ''The Hangover'' beat ''
Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 epic film, epic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger ...
'' and ''
G-Force The g-force or gravitational force equivalent is a Specific force, mass-specific force (force per unit mass), expressed in Unit of measurement, units of standard gravity (symbol ''g'' or ''g''0, not to be confused with "g", the symbol for ...
'' in first week DVD and Blu-ray sales, as well as rentals, selling more than 8.6million units and making it the best-selling comedy ever on DVD and Blu-ray, beating the previous record held by ''
My Big Fat Greek Wedding ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, and Joey Faton ...
''.


Reception


Critical response

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, ''The Hangover'' has an approval rating of 79% based on 240 reviews with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With a clever script and hilarious interplay among the cast, ''The Hangover'' nails just the right tone of raunchy humor, and the non-stop laughs overshadow any flaw." On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a score of 73 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' gave it three-and-a-half stars out of four and praised the film for its comedic approach.
A. O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic, known for his film and literary criticism. After starting his career at ''The New York Review of Books'', '' Variety'', and ''Slate'', he began writing film ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' praised Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis for their performances in the film as well as Todd Phillips for its direction. Scott later went on to say that the film is "safe as milk".
Mick LaSalle Mick LaSalle (born May 7, 1959) is an American film critic and the author of two books on pre-Code Hollywood. Up to March 2008, he had written more than 1,550 reviews for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' and he has been podcasting them since Sep ...
of the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'' also praised Phillips' direction. LaSalle also praised the film's comedic scenes and called it "the funniest movie so far this year
009 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight ...
. Betsy Sharkey of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' praised the film for its perverseness. Sharkey also said that the film is "filled with moments as softhearted as they are crude, as forgiving as unforgivable". Although
Joe Leydon Joseph Patrick Michael Leydon (born August 22, 1952) is an American film critic and historian. A critic and correspondent for '' Variety'' since 1990, he is the author of ''Joe Leydon's Guide to Essential Movies You Must See'' (Michael Wiese Pro ...
of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' criticized the film's trailers and TV-spots for its "beer-and-boobs, party-hearty farce", he also praised the film for its cleverness. Conversely,
Richard Corliss Richard Nelson Corliss (March 6, 1944 – April 23, 2015) was an American film critic and magazine editor for ''Time''. He focused on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects. He was the former editor-in-chief of ''Film Comment ...
of ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' said that "virtually every joke
n the film N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
either is visible long before it arrives or extends way past its expiration date" and added, "Whatever the other critics say, this is a bromance so primitive it's practically Bro-Magnon." In his review in ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...
'',
Michael Sragow Michael Sragow (born June 26, 1952) is an American film critic and columnist who has written for ''The Orange County Register'', ''The Baltimore Sun'', ''Film Comment'', the ''San Francisco Examiner'', ''The New Times'', ''The New Yorker'' (where ...
called the film a "foul mesh of cheap cleverness and vulgarity." Joe Neumaier of the '' Daily News'' gave the film two-and-a-half out of five stars and noted, "Amusing as it is, it never feels real. That may not seem like a big deal—a lot of funny movies play by their own rules—except that ''The Hangover'' keeps doubling-down on the outlandishness." Family-oriented reviewers have harangued the film, noting that Galifianakis said he tried to forbid his own mother from seeing it and that he yells at parents of kids who tell him they like the film. Anton Trees criticised the film for what he viewed as the weak character development, especially in its female characters. Critics also focused on
misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...
and stereotyping, in particular the portrayal of the Asian gangster. Ebert, despite his praise, stated, "I won't go so far as to describe it as a character study", and said that the film is more than the sum of its parts—parts that may at first seem generic or clichéd, since similar films (such as ''
Very Bad Things ''Very Bad Things'' is a 1998 American black comedy film written and directed by Peter Berg in his feature film directorial debut and starring Cameron Diaz, Jon Favreau, Daniel Stern, Jeremy Piven, Christian Slater, Leland Orser, Kobe Tai ...
'') have already explored the idea of a weekend in Vegas gone wrong. The film's premise has several similarities to ''
Dude, Where's My Car? ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' is a 2000 American stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner. The film stars Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott as two best friends who find themselves unable to remember where they parked their vehicle after a ...
'' Both films are about "a couple guys waking up after a night of getting trashed, only to find they are missing something important", whose adventures include "a trail of clues, a missing car, dubious encounters with strippers and wild animals, a brush with the law and gangs chasing them for something they don't realize they have".


Accolades


Impact and legacy

By depicting and celebrating Las Vegas as the "ultimate guys' getaway", ''The Hangover'' had a major impact on Caesars Palace and Las Vegas.Christopher Lawrence
"'Hangover' movies have been a PR bonanza for Caesars, Vegas"
, ''
Las Vegas Review-Journal The ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' is a daily subscription newspaper published in Las Vegas, Nevada, since 1909. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada and one of two daily newspapers in the Las Vegas area. The ''Review-Journal' ...
'', May 21, 2013.
It was reported in 2013 that as of that year, guests were still continuing to quote to Caesars Palace staff two lines from the film's check-in scene: "Did Caesar live here?" and "Do you know if the hotel is pager-friendly?" As a result of the film, ''Hangover''-themed slot machines became popular at casinos throughout the Las Vegas Valley, the Caesars Palace gift shop sold tens of thousands of ''Hangover''-related souvenirs, and the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is a quasi government agency and the official destination marketing organization for Southern Nevada. It was founded by the Nevada Legislature in 1955. The LVCVA owns and operates the La ...
received numerous inquiries from persons interested in recreating some of the film's most wild scenes, such as those involving a tiger. The Las Vegas branch of
Madame Tussauds Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in London in 1835 by the French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. One of the early main attractions was the Chamber of Horrors, which appeared in advertising in 1843. In 1883, the restricted space of ...
added ''Hangover''-themed rooms recreating the hotel room and the wedding chapel and a tie-in rooftop cocktail bar. In 2018,
Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...
issued a parody version of their board game ''
Clue Clue may refer to: * Clue (information) – a piece of information bringing someone closer to a conclusion. People with the name * DJ Clue (born 1975), mixtape DJ * Fredy Clue (born 1994 or 1995), Swedish artist and musician * Oliver Clue * ...
'' where players have to locate a missing friend somewhere in the city after a wild night of carousing. In 2025, the film was among those voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 234.


Sequels

Principal photography of ''The Hangover Part II'' began in October 2010, with
Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...
,
Ed Helms Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor, musician and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sit ...
,
Justin Bartha Justin Lee Bartha (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. In film, Bartha has played Riley Poole in the ''National Treasure'' film series and Doug Billings in ''The Hangover'' trilogy. His television roles include David Sawyer in the NBC c ...
, and
Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (; born October 1, 1969) is an American actor, comedian and writer. The accolades he has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award. Galifianakis ...
returning, in addition to
Ken Jeong Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong ( ; ; born July 13, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and physician. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in ''The Hangover'' film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the NBC sitcom ''Community'' ...
who appears in a much larger role. The film was released on May 26, 2011. Filming of ''The Hangover Part III'' began in September 2012, and was released on May 23, 2013.


See also

*
List of films set in Las Vegas This is a list of films set in Las Vegas. See also * List of films shot in Las Vegas * List of television shows set in Las Vegas References {{reflist Las Vegas Films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work ...


References


External links

* *
''The Hangover''
on
FilmAffinity FilmAffinity is a movie recommendations website created in 2002 in Madrid, Spain, by the film critic Pablo Kurt Verdú Schumann and the programmer Daniel Nicolás. In 2016, the site listed 125,000 movies and series and had 556,000 reviews writte ...
* * *
''The Hangover'' – Behind-the-Scenes Secrets
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hangover, The 2000s American films 2000s adventure comedy films 2000s buddy comedy films 2000s comedy road movies 2009 comedy films 2009 films American adventure comedy films American buddy comedy films American comedy road movies Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners 2000s English-language films Films about drugs Films about missing people Films about bachelor parties Films about sexuality Films about weddings in the United States Fictional trios Films about vacationing Films directed by Todd Phillips Films with screenplays by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore Films produced by Todd Phillips Films produced by Daniel Goldberg Films scored by Christophe Beck Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Nevada Films set in the Las Vegas Valley Films shot in Nevada Films shot in the Las Vegas Valley Legendary Pictures films The Hangover (film series) Triad films Warner Bros. films English-language adventure comedy films English-language buddy comedy films