6 Groundbreaking Films That Redefined Their Genres
4. Comedy Genre - The Hangover
If theres one genre that all ages can appreciate its a comedy. Some are crafted especially for younger viewers, some are best kept out of the way of children and some are tailored to bring smiles to the faces of both young and old. The one thing that they all have in common is that theyre crafted for the sole purpose of promoting the greatest of human emotions. Although many are guilty of being formulaic and a little bit predictable there are some which break the mould and add a new dimension to their humour. For me, one film ticks every single one of these boxes The Hangover.
Released in 2009, The Hangover tells the story of four guys who go to Vegas on a stag weekend; the leader of the group and the groom, Doug; his wild friend Phil; the sensible and serious Stu; and Dougs soon to be brother in law, the slightly deranged Alan. As is usually the case with such endeavours, things dont go completely to plan, leading to a hilarious chain of events which the group must negotiate if they can remember them first... Its not so much the basic plot of this situational comedy that makes it so entertaining, as in this respect the events which transpire are fairly predictable. Instead there are two other elements that contribute to its awesome appeal, firstly the specific brand of laddish humour thats exhibited throughout and secondly the way in which the story is told almost in reverse (or out of order at the very least). Much of the banter between the lads is not dissimilar to the type of thing you can hear from any group of blokes the insults, the swearing, the practical jokes are all quite commonplace when a bunch of close friends get together. Maybe thats one of the reasons why this type of humour appeals to me so much, I dont know, but I can imagine myself and my friends in similar situations and Im sure that the results would be just as catastrophic! The way that the story is told is one of the main draws of this film as it mimics the recollections afforded by an actual hangover: the boys desperately struggle to piece together the events of the night before in order to figure out where they may have lost Doug and ascertain exactly why an angry Chinese gentleman wants to hurt them! By telling the story in this way the film is much more than a sequence of alcohol induced events, but a journey that keeps the audience guessing and offers random scenarios at each turn. In short, its a cracking film well worthy of a watch. Other top picks: American Pie, Road Trip, Blues Brothers, Joe Dirt Click "next" below for the Adventure genre...