Todd Phillips might be moving on to more serious projects now that he is directing films like Joker 2, but he is mostly known for being a comedy director. Among his films like Old School, Due Date, and War Dogs, Phillips also directed The Hangover trilogy. As with most comedies, the series only went down in quality as the films continued, but the original is still held in high regard.
The film stars Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha as four guys who go out to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Like all great comedies, The Hangover has dozens of memorable quotes, so let’s take a moment to appreciate some of the very best.
“I Tend To Think Of Myself As A One-Man Wolf Pack.”
Alan
By the time the men arrive in Las Vegas, Alan has already proven himself to be a very strange guy. So when he launches into a toast to start off the evening, it is hard not to cringe and laugh at how awkward it is.
Despite obviously being a bit of a loner, Alan tries to suggest that he is some sort of rebel who chooses a life of solitude. But his assertion that the other men, including those he has just met, are now part of his “wolf pack” shows how desperate he is for friends.
“It’s The Weekend, Budnick. I Don’t Know You. You Do Not Exist.”
Phil
Similar to Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper’s movie career has changed considerably since the release of The Hangover. Though he is a serious actor now with multiple Oscar nominations, he is hilarious in the movie as Phil, the “cool guy” of the group who is pushing for a wild bachelor party weekend.
Audiences get a glimpse of what kind of guy Phil is when his friends pick him up from his job as a teacher. When one of his students tries to ask him a question, Phil shuts him down in a hilarious and brutal way, showing where his priorities are.
“Would You Please Put Some Pants On? I Feel Weird Having To Ask You Twice.”
One of the funniest scenes in the movie is when the men wake up from their wild night and begin to realize the mayhem that transpired. It is the aftermath of an epic and chaotic night that leaves them all shaken.
With a tiger in the bathroom and Stu missing a tooth, the fact that Alan isn’t wearing any pants is far from the weirdest thing. But when Phil has to ask him multiple times to put pants on, it could either be due to the madness of the mess they are in or Alan’s own oblivious nature.
“Hey, Guys, When’s The Next Halley’s Comet?”
It’s hard to imagine how different the movie would have been if Zach Galifianakis wasn’t cast as Alan. He brings such an odd quality to the movie and is certainly responsible for some of the movie’s funniest moments that seem to come out of nowhere.
Even in the midst of this wild adventure, Alan can suddenly be thinking of something totally random that he feels the need to share with everyone else. His questions about Halley’s Comet and worries that he might be missing it that very night are met with stunned silence by the others.
“And We’re The Three Best Friends That Anyone Could Have!”
Alan’s need to become best friends with the rest of the men doesn’t end at the toast. Even as they face one terrible situation after another, Alan seems to take these as an opportunity to cement these new friendships with Stu and Phil.
After finally getting some good luck and seemingly going to get Doug back, the three men start celebrating. However, Alan obliviously ruins the moment by launching into a child-like song about how they are best friends that makes the others very uncomfortable.
“What Do Tigers Dream Of, When They Take A Little Tiger Snooze?”
Stu
This one is a lyric more than it is a quote, but it is one of the funniest parts of The Hangover nonetheless. After Stu feeds Mike Tyson’s tiger a steak stuffed with roofies, the gang waits for the animal to pass out.
While they wait, Stu breaks out into song while playing the piano singing, “What do tigers dream of, when they take a little tiger snooze?” Stu’s lyrics are hysterical, talking about mauling zebras and Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit, but he then stops abruptly when he hears the tiger groan and pass out. It is antics like this that helped make The Hangover one of the highest-grossing comedies of all time.
“This Isn’t The Real Caesars Palace, Is It?”
One of the funniest quotes comes near the beginning of the movie when the gang checks into Caesars Palace. The group argues about having to share beds before Phil suggests they rent the villa, which is priced at a hefty $4,200 for the night. After Stu begrudgingly hands his credit card to the front desk agent, Alan asks, “This isn’t the real Caesars Palace, is it?”
The front desk attendant is obviously confused, so Alan clarifies asking if Caesar actually lived at the hotel. It’s a memorable quote and something that people who work at Caesars Palace probably get sick of hearing.
“It’s At The Corner Of Get A Map And F*** Off.”
Dr. Valsh
A common collaborator of Todd Phillips is actor Matt Walsh. In The Hangover, Walsh plays the character Dr. Valsh, who came in contact with the group the night they were drugged. The hospital band on Phil’s wrist led them back to the hospital and the guys pay Dr. Valsh to give them information about the night before.
After getting a clue about a chapel called The Best Little Chapel, Phil asks Dr. Valsh if he knows the address. Dr. Valsh casually responds, “I do. It’s at the corner of get a map and f*** off," which the guys certainly weren’t expecting or hoping to hear.
“He’ll Be Fine. I Cracked A Window.”
Finding a baby in their hotel closet was no doubt one of the craziest and worrisome things the gang encountered after they woke up. They bring the baby along on their search for Doug, which leads them to The Best Little Chapel. Clearly in a rush to get the next clue to their missing friend, the gang starts to head into the chapel before realizing the baby is in the car.
They have a brief argument about whether they can leave Carlos in the squad car, to which Phil exclaims, “He’ll be fine. I cracked a window”. This is coming from the same man that wanted to leave the baby in the hotel room with a tiger locked in the bathroom…
“I Hate Godzilla! I Hate Him Too!”
Not only do Stu, Alan, and Phil find a baby in their hotel room, but they also find an Asian man in the trunk of Doug’s car. After the gang get out of prison and are driving back towards the Strip, they hear a knocking coming from the trunk. Thinking it is their lost friend, they pull over and quickly open the trunk, but to their surprise, a full-grown nude man pops out.
The character is Mr. Chow, who plays a larger role later in the low-rated comedy sequels, but in this scene, he uses a crowbar to beat up the gang. In an attempt to reason with Mr. Chow, Alan says, “I hate Godzilla! I hate him too! I hate him! He destroys cities!” His remarks clearly didn’t put Mr. Chow at ease, who throws the crowbar at Alan and runs off.
“Tigers Love Pepper. They Hate Cinnamon.”
One of the bigger mistakes the gang makes is stealing a tiger from heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Stealing and attempting to handle a fully grown white tiger is dangerous enough, but angering Tyson could be just as dangerous.
When the gang is trying to return the tiger to Mr. Tyson, they decide to load some roofies inside a steak, which Alan sprinkles with pepper. Stu asks Alan why he is peppering the steak, to which Alan responds, “tigers love pepper. They hate cinnamon.” Obviously, there isn’t any scientific proof to back up his statement, but it’s funny nonetheless.
“He’s Like A Gremlin. Comes With Instructions And S***.”
It’s clear from the beginning that Stu, Phil, and Doug don’t really want Alan to tag along on their trip to Vegas, but Doug is too nice of a guy to tell his bride-to-be no. When Doug is talking about Alan with Phil, he mentions that Tracy doesn’t want her brother to drink too much or gamble at all.
Clearly, those are the two things people love to do in Vegas, but viewers of course find out why Alan shouldn’t do either. When reacting to Doug, Phil comments, “Jesus, he’s like a Gremlin. Comes with instructions and s***”. And while Gremlins are one movie animal everyone wishes was real, Alan isn’t quite as cute and fun as Gizmo.
“I Look Like A Nerdy Hillbilly!”
Each member of the gang was negatively affected by Alan drugging them, but Stu arguably got the worst of it (besides Doug). Stu not only got hitched while he was under the influence, but he also lost a tooth. Losing a tooth would be a big deal to anybody, but since Stu is a dentist, it seems much worse for him than it would to the average person.
When Stu wakes up and looks in a mirror, he utters, “I look like a nerdy hillbilly." To make matters worse, he eventually finds out that he bet Alan he could pull out his own tooth to prove how good of a dentist he was.
“Hey Guys, You Ready To Let The Dogs Out?”
To most people, Alan’s fashion sense isn’t the greatest. When the guys go out for the first night, Stu, Doug, and Phil are all wearing suits, while Alan is wearing a shirt that’s a tad too small, white pants, and a man purse (a satchel). When we first see his outfit, Alan appears out of nowhere behind the guys and says, “Hey guys, you ready to let the dogs out?”
Since Alan said it with such a straight face (and even did a little footwork when he sang a verse from the Baha Men’s song), the quote stuck out as one of the best in the film. Though some see The Hangover as an overrated comedy movie, it’s hard not to laugh at moments like this.
“You Are Literally Too Stupid To Insult.”
Out of anybody in the Wolfpack, Stu is the one who usually doesn’t get along with Alan, and it makes sense. After all, Alan’s actions caused Stu to lose a tooth and marry a stripper in the first film. When Phil, Stu, and Alan are on their way back to their hotel room, they remember they still have to deal with the tiger that is in their bathroom.
Phil rhetorically asks how the tiger got in the bathroom, and Stu sarcastically tells Alan he didn’t know because he can’t remember. Alan proceeds to explain to Stu that that is a side effect of roofies to which Stu hilariously responds, “You are literally too stupid to insult.”
“What Happens In Vegas, Stays In Vegas.”
Sid
The phrase what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas started long before The Hangover came out in 2009, but the movie managed to put a funny twist on the saying. Before the gang leaves for Vegas, Doug’s father-in-law (played by Jeffrey Tambor) tosses him the keys to his Mercedes-Benz 220SE and says, “remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”.
Doug nervously laughs and then Sid continues, “except for herpes. That s*** will come back with you.” Obviously, that infection is no laughing matter, but the way the line was delivered was unexpected and hilarious.
“Hey! There Are Skittles In There!”
Another one of Alan’s funniest quotes comes during the guys’ encounter with Mr. Chow. After Chow escaped from the trunk, he went back to his people to track down Phil, Stu, and Alan. Mr. Chow’s SUV unexpectedly crashes into Doug’s car, and Mr. Chow’s thugs drag the guys out of the vehicle.
Mr. Chow is looking for his purse (which contains $80,000), but got his hands on Alan’s almost empty one instead. Chow throws it on the ground and Alan exclaims, “There are Skittles in there!” The entire scene is basically funny because of the way Mr. Chow makes fun of Alan, but this is one of the best lines from the scene.
