A great idea let down by not so great writing.
After seeing the trailer for The Hungover Games, I thought it may have had potential and the idea of including the likes of The Depp District, The Superhero District and the The Gratuitous Nudity District, among many others, it did contain enough humor to keep it better than any parody films I’ve seen in a while, which include more than a few from the Wayans brothers. Having a spoof of the cast from Hangover, with it set in their answer to Panem’s Hunger Games, allowed them to fill the twelve districts with parodied famous characters from TV and film.
The possibilities were endless and with better writing, the team could have really worked wonders with such a wide array of characters to play with. I had hoped for much funnier material with the likes of the Depp’s, as we had Willie Wonka, Tonto and Jack Sparrow, yet I felt this was a wasted opportunity.
- The Hungover Games
- Directed by
Josh Stolberg - Cast
Ross Nathan, Ben Begley, Herbert Russell - Release Date
18 February 2014 - Ed’s Grade: C
Having the Hangover characters use their real names, like Bradley and Zach was funny, but the rest of the parodied characters were funny only when they were first introduced but with no real humor in their further dialogue the fun quickly evaporated. The first act was definitely better than the following two but there were enough genuinely funny moments, however fleeting, to keep me watching until the end.
Bradley, Ed, and Zach have inadvertently volunteered to take part in The Hungover Games, where they fight for their lives against the likes of Thor, Ted and Carrie, and we see Django and Calvin Dandy (Candy) fighting it out, with The Muppets, Avatar and Desperate Housewives also making an appearance. The rules have been changed to allow “multiple victors with a longstanding bond of exceptional bromance,” so Bradley, Ed, and Zach must find the missing Doug to try to win the games.
The Hungover Games is one of the better parodies I’ve seen in the past couple of years and I can see a second and third being made only because it wasn’t a complete failure, but I just wish they had tried that bit harder with the script as the idea was good, especially with all the funny characters they had to use. The production and acting were solid, and there were a few memorable scenes, but the trio of writers relied too much on just having amusing characters and forgot to give them funny things to say and do.
The Hungover Games is filled with crude one-liners that may amuse anyone drunk or too young to actually see this film, and those of you with an infantile sense of humor. It’s definitely worth seeing once but you’ll quickly forget about it, as with most parodies being churned out these days.
