No I’m not writing a review. Enough reviews are available if you really care about them. I’m just trying to analyze my own psyche here. I just saw The Hangover and I liked it. I’m not sure why exactly I liked it. It is probably because of the gay (not in “that” sense) abandon with which they indulged in their sinful escapades. In fact it is every man’s (dunno about women, I’m still clueless about them) fantasy to get intoxicated and do things they can’t when they are in their senses. These are the classical “stop making sense” moments. The sheer bizarreness of the plot elements satisfies the perennial male fantasies to the fullest. Getting away from preachy kin, long drive to a place like Las Vegas, losing all the senses, marrying a stripper…the list goes on.
But I must clarify here that it is not exactly a stoner flick. That is not the point. It is not another Up in Smoke or Pineapple Express (Yes I liked them). Nor is it about self destructive losers like Leaving Las Vegas (I liked that one too). In fact it reminds me of the films like The Sideways & to some extent Thelma & Louise. It’s about reclaiming life even if for a few hours. Most of such films have characters suffering from mid life crisis who finally break free. But The Hangover is about younger people. That is exactly why I can relate to them. I’m yet to arrive at mid life. But I do have a crisis. What have I done so far? Was it worth it? Finally, what’s the fucking point? Every thing I have been taught and I have done so far seems questionable. It is probably the mid youth crisis!
On second thoughts, I also liked it because I simply like such low budget indie flicks with excellent scripts. That is why I liked Li’l Miss Sunshine. No megastars, no stunts, no CGI…. just pure intelligent filmmaking. Whatever it is, after a very long time I didn’t regret paying for the ticket after watching a film. In case you stumbled upon this page searching for a review, it is definitely recommended!
