The Hangover

When three friends wake up after a night of bachelor-party excess in Las Vegas, they can hardly piece together what happened. Phil, Stu and Alan find a baby in the closet, a tiger in the bathroom and no sign of their friend Doug, who should be getting married that day. With a pounding hangover and only a few hours to make the ceremony, they retrace strange clues, deal with police and worried relatives, and follow increasingly bizarre leads. Every new discovery raises the stakes, forcing them to improvise, patch together their memory and race across the city to bring Doug back for his wedding. They face strangers, shady characters and immediate consequences as the wedding hour draws near and panic.

Directed by Todd Phillips and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, The Hangover arrived in 2009 and announced a new, raunchy mainstream voice for its director, blending scripted beats with loose comedic performance from its leads and commercial success.

It proved a major commercial success, turning a relatively modest comedy budget into a blockbuster phenomenon, spawning sequels and convincing studios there was big money in R-rated buddy films aimed at adult audiences, and boosted the careers of its leads.

Audiences and many critics reacted positively, reflected by a 7.3/10 vote average, with praise for the chemistry among Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, especially Galifianakis's oddball timing. Some reviewers balked at the crudeness, but most noted the film's focus on male friendship, consequences of excess and escalating absurdity.

Iconic images like the tiger in the bathroom and the baby in the closet quickly entered pop culture, while Alan's awkward confidence became a frequent reference. The Hangover influenced a wave of bawdy, male-centered comedies, helped normalize raunchier studio fare and left a lasting mark on party storytelling and memes.