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Parents' Guide to

The Hangover

By James Rocchi, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Funny, yes, but chock-full of alcohol-fueled adult content.

Movie R 2009 100 minutes
The Hangover Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 77 parent reviews

age 11+

Hilarious and amazing!

This movie is fine for mature preteens. As long as your children understand whats going on its fine. Grade 6 or 7 is when kids should start watching movies like this.
age 18+

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (77 ):
Kids say (211 ):

Even with all the concerns about the content in THE HANGOVER, you'd have to be pretty hard-hearted not to admire the flair, flash, and funk that director Todd Phillips brings to the film. As a kind of boozed-soaked detective story, it's remarkably engaging, and the trio of leads each bring something to the proceedings -- Cooper's ratty charm, Helms' stoic uptightness, and Galifinakis' outer-space musings work remarkably well together. There are some nice supporting parts, too (including Rob Riggle as a crazed cop and Heather Graham as an "escort" with a heart of gold), and the film's tempo never flags or falters.

The Hangover is exactly the kind of summertime film that grown-ups will enjoy before, or after, a few adult beverages, bringing back plenty of stories about their own flaming youth or misadventures; the film's too slick and speedy to meditate too much on what the characters learn from their experiences, and if the ending's happiness seems a little forced, think of that brief good feeling as a sparkling champagne chaser to the film's stiff-liquor comedic sensibility. Manic, panicked, and giddily crazed, The Hangover is, like the debauchery it depicts, so much fun that it hurts.

Movie Details

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