The Hangover

Of all the enigmas that confront the crapulous anti-heroes of Todd Phillips' The Hangover, none is quite so bewildering and paradoxical as the puzzle presented to viewers at the beginning of this disc. Instead of the usual Warner Bros trailer reel, we are treated to an advertisement for the wonders of the Blu-Ray High Definition format. Look, we are told, at the untold crispness and clarity of the image – but inevitably all that we can see, of course, is the usual specs of a DVD. Maybe, if you are intoxicated enough, there is little difference.

The scant extras in this package will contribute little to your appreciation of the film itself. There is an eight-minute reel of goofs and gaffes, and a slightly longer edit – albeit less than a minute and a half – cut of the three disoriented bachelor party boys improvising songs on the freeway. Much of this material is entirely disposable, and absolutely none of it is as funny as what made final cut.

The longest extra is the Map Of Destruction featurette that artificially structures an assemblage of cast-and-crew interviews, scenes from the film and comic improvisations into a 15-minute tour of the film's different Vegas locations – many of which in fact appear only in still photos seen near the end of the feature.

Director/producer Phillips and his production designer Brill Brzeski offer the odd soundbite about their love of using real locations, while the cast do that weird electronic press kit thing of talking half as themselves, half in character, and reveal nothing that could not already be gleaned simply by watching the film. At least Ken Jeong (Mr Chow) does some funny-ish stand-up – while sitting down. There are, however, no real insights on offer here, and you would need a few stiff drinks before finding yourself laughing out loud at much of this. Indeed, it all feels as though it has been thrown together by a bunch of guys with a hangover...