Melora Koepke

There are two kinds of audiences who adored The Hangover, and they will love the sequel just as much. First, there are those for whom the whole idea of waking up in a state of sweaty- eye-balled shame like the one depicted in the first movie is inconceivable—so for them, it’s pure schadenfreude. And then there’s the rest of us, whose own misspent nights- before and morning-s after, like those depicted in the film, contain many elements of a classic whodunit: we wake up in a state of confusion only to realize, slowly and terribly, what we did.

The film broke box -office records and ended up being the bestselling R- rated movie in history. It may also be the first movie ever to ensure that everyone in the audience stays in their seat until the very last credit has rolled: it’s a well- known fact that the photo sequence over the credits contains debauched acts never before depicted in a Hollywood studio movie. According to director Todd Phillips (Old School, Due Date and the first Hangover), the secret to The Hangover’s success is in these photos and what they represent. “I think it’s a lot to do with the unapologetic nature of this comedy,” he says. “I think a lot of American comedies tend to apologize for their bad behaviour in the last 10 minutes of the movie, and The Hangover just doesn’t do that. It doesn’t apologize. It’s like ‘fuck it, it’s over, just leave.’ “That was the original title, actually,” he jokes. “Fuck It, It’s Over, Just Leave. But you know what I mean—it’s this unapologetic tone that I think people responded to, because we’re used to a certain way of these stories being told.” Read article