Alright, Scrooged, Bill Murray’s (then) modern-day take on A Christmas Carol was supposed to be a comedy. I mean, it is a comedy and a brilliant one at that. I can appreciate it now that I’m older, but watching it as a child scared all of the Christmas spirit right out of me. It wasn’t just one scene, but a few that I remember only as the purest stuff that nightmares were made of.
While Vegas is no doubt a great setting for a comedy, it’s been done more than a few times before. However, what makes The Hangover stand out is its relatively little known cast (save for Mike Tyson of course) and its evenly paced story.
The Hangover starts out fairly predictably with Doug, his friends Stu and Phil, and his forthcoming brother-in-law Alan, gearing up for a wicked bachelor party. They (barely) arrive in one piece, toast to a night to remember (hopefully) and wake up to find the husband-to-be completely missing, a tiger in their hotel bathroom, a baby left in the closet and a completely trashed suite complete with a chair that’s still smoldering. After finding none of them can remember anything at all, they begin retracing their steps to try and locate Doug with hours to spare before the wedding.
A couple of weekends ago it was Joshua’s birthday, and one of the presents he got was a DVD collection of all of the “Spaced” episodes. I was skeptical at first because I’m unfamiliar with British comedy, but I ended up absolutely loving it, and most days after watching a few episodes I find myself somehow talking with an accent. Unfortunately only two seasons aired, but those two seasons are packed with plenty of laughs and quotable lines that will keep you and your friends busy for a while.