# I literally have no idea what was even supposed to be funny about "The Hangover" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2010, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777 "2010-12-03T07:29:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/1 "2010-12-03T07:29:06Z")
I didn’t even crack a smile, and saw nothing original about it whatsoever. Does anyone else feel this way? Why is it hailed as one of the funniest movies ever? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/2 "2010-12-03T07:33:35Z")
It had funny moments, but I think it had been WAY too hyped up to me by everyone and their mother before I saw it. And now I can’t even watch it again- I’m in Vegas every 2 weeks for business and I want to straight up murder the packs of roving douchebags trying to simultaneously reenact Hangover and Entourage with their bros. _twitch_ ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/3 "2010-12-03T07:53:25Z")
Fucking hated it. Not funny - gross actually. And while I’m bitching… Avatar was worse. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/4 "2010-12-03T07:58:41Z")
I ask the same thing about 75% of the “funniest movie[s] ever” that people insist are funny. Most comedies just aren’t that funny. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/5 "2010-12-03T08:40:13Z")
A dentist gets drunk and pulls his own tooth? You don’t find that hilarious? ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/6 "2010-12-03T08:45:37Z")
I found it amusing. But it was certainly no ghostbusters. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/7 "2010-12-03T10:36:58Z")
Agreed. I thought it was the worst movie I saw that year. Terribly unfunny. And it pains me worse than even most hangovers that they’re making a sequel. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/8 "2010-12-03T11:00:59Z")
I thought that it was pretty funny, but I was in an appreciative cinema and I’m a big fan of Ed Helms. If you went into it after being told that it was the second coming of Comedy Jesus, I can see why you would have been disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/9 "2010-12-03T11:13:59Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > I thought that it was pretty funny, but I was in an appreciative cinema and I’m a big fan of Ed Helms. If you went into it after being told that it was the second coming of Comedy Jesus, I can see why you would have been disappointed. I went in with no expectations and left disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/10 "2010-12-03T11:16:43Z")
I have a conspiracy theory, I think this Hangover script is just another gastronomic and literary version and reiteration of Time Bandits. “The Hangover” = “Time Bandits” It’s the whole Cross, Oswalt, and Galifinkis Cabal. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/11 "2010-12-03T11:21:22Z")
If you don’t like babies jerking off and getting clocked by car doors and naked gay Japanese gangsters, then this movie is not for you. ---
**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/12 "2010-12-03T11:50:48Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > If you don’t like babies jerking off and getting clocked by car doors and naked gay Japanese gangsters, then this movie is not for you. Yo, I don’t mean to get all defensive, but I’m pretty sure that was a gay Chinese gangster. 😃 Unless (gasp) it was a worse portrayal than I thought… _Please please god, let it have been a gay Chinese gangster…_ ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/13 "2010-12-03T12:10:03Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Does anyone else feel this way? I smiled once or twice, but largely despised it. And stuff that people were screaming with laughter about I just thought were pathetic: Chinese gangster with silly voice? Not. Funny. I adore sick and twisted humour, but in this case it was sick and twisted but not humour. And the ‘idiot’ character creeped me out. I didn’t think the actor’s performance was very good either, despite people thinking he was hilarious. I also felt they missed a trick with the plotting. Start with the crazy scenario, then work backwards, with each backward step being more of a reveal. Instead they chopped and changed, and had a forward narrative as well as a present narrative, which undermined the opening premise. [My initial thoughts](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11341494&postcount=83) just after seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/14 "2010-12-03T13:26:30Z")
> [@KinkiNipponTourist](#): > > Yo, I don’t mean to get all defensive, but I’m pretty sure that was a gay Chinese gangster. 😃 > > Unless (gasp) it was a worse portrayal than I thought… > _Please please god, let it have been a gay Chinese gangster…_ Yes. Chinese gangster. I watched that character thinking the accent was _ridiculous_. Though, for years, I’ve heard Ken Jeong imitate his parents as part of his stand-up act. His parents are immigrants and have thick accents. Ken’s imitation of their accents has always been very realistic and entirely believeable. But here’s the thing: Ken Jeong is Korean AND He is _exactly_ the kind of guy who would get all over-serious in his approach to his “Naked Gangster Jumps out of a Trunk and says ‘Fuck’ a lot” film role. I watched his performance totally imagining him with script in hand saying to himself, “O.K., this guy is Chinese. I need to understand Chinese immigrants and grow this character authentically through my performance. Where was this guy born? Why did he come to America? I have to study Chinese accents. _I have to try really really hard to do an authentic Chinese accent_.” For this role, I think he could have gotten away with doing the same accent he does when he imitates his parents. I don’t think the Korean-American community not the Chinese-American community would have chosen that aspect of his performance to be outraged about. Saying nothing about the accent, Bobby Lee’s main criticism of the portrayal was: > [@](#): > > Ken Jeong’s performance in “The Hangover” has set Asian-Americans back three and a half inches. P.S. I thought the movie was funny. ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/15 "2010-12-03T13:43:02Z")
I was underwhelmed too. The Hangover had its moments but overall it was pretty average, certainly not the laugh riot many made it out to be. ---
**Author:** ![elninost0rm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ed655f/32.png) [@elninost0rm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elninost0rm)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/16 "2010-12-03T13:44:21Z")
It’s one of those Seth Rogen-esque films that appeals to the hordes of college students slobbering over it. I personally didn’t think it was all that entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/17 "2010-12-03T13:54:27Z")
I thought it was funny, because I went in thinking it would be stupid and unrealistic. I expected the dentist to stop being a pussy and man up, there be a frantic rush to get to the wedding, and other formulaic comedy tropes. I think being drunk and in a theater helped it be funnier than it was, I probably wouldn’t crack a smile watching it at home. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/18 "2010-12-03T13:57:21Z")
i was one of the hordes of college students slobbering over old school, anchorman, and 40 year old virgin but i didn’t like the Hangover, at all. well, the baby jerking off was good for a medium sized laugh, but the rest of the movie was about as interesting as a bad improv show. - BUT WAIT. THERE’S A TIGER IN THE BATHROOM. - WHAT? I DON’T BELIEVE YOU - NO SERIOUSLY. GO LOOK. - I’LL LOOK BUT THERE’S NOTHING IN… OH MY GOD THERE IS A TIGER!? WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? - MIKE TYSON! ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/19 "2010-12-03T14:02:43Z")
I missed the publicity about it, and the initial release of the film, but a question in a trivia game I played revealed it had done HUGE box office for a comedy, so I checked it out on cable. It was really dull! I mean, REALLY dull. Score 1 for marketing. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777/20 "2010-12-03T14:04:47Z")
I recall finding it a pleasant enough time waster while I watched it, but can barely recall any thing that was funny. But generally comedy movies are mediocre. I can’t think of many that would stand up against watching 4 back to back, ad free episodes of a top notch TV comedy. A few years ago I was away on business and late at night in the hotel I caught an episode of \*Cheers \*. I had already seen it at least once but watched it again and it was still laugh out loud funny. When I got home the next night I was roaming around late night TV looking for something to watch and found the same episode of _Cheers_. I watched it again and it was still funny. I can’t think of a comedy movie that I could have watched two days in a row and laughed at. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-literally-have-no-idea-what-was-even-supposed-to-be-funny-about-the-hangover/562777.md?page=2)