Phillips can't bring himself to push the material into truly outré territory, or to characterize his growth-impaired guys as degenerate creeps rather than lovable scamps.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
At once raucously free-wheeling and meticulously contrived, picture satisfies as a boys-gone-wild laff riot that also clicks as a seriocomic beat-the-clock detective story.
Austin Chronicle by Kimberley Jones
The Hangover instantly has the feel of one for the ages.
The Hollywood Reporter by Michael Rechtshaffen
A piercingly funny, twisted "whatever-happens-in-Vegas" caper.
Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman
Overall it's more amusing than hilarious.
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
The Hangover ain't art, but Phillips has shaped the hardcore hilarity into the summer party movie of all our twisted dreams.
Miami Herald by Rene Rodriguez
The Hangover remains unrepentantly irresponsible and hilarious throughout, culminating with what could be the funniest montage ever to grace a picture's end credits. The summer's first sleeper hit has arrived.
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
A funny movie, flat out, all the way through. Its setup is funny. Every situation is funny. Most of the dialogue is funny almost line by line.
It's a worst-case-scenario of bachelor party morning-after, and it is howlingly funny.