Movie Reviews: UP and The Hangover

UP
Rating: PG for some peril and action.

Pixar has done it again. They’ve gone and made a great animated movie that keeps your attention, makes you laugh out loud and has some sentimental value in the end. In their latest flick we’re taken on a journey of an old man who has recently lost his longtime wife and has been forced to sell his home to a new developer. Instead of giving up and walking off into the sunset at the local retirement home he decides to attach thousands of helium balloons to his house and he heads off to an exotic location that he and his late wife always wanted to live.

This was a great story about seeking adventure in life and pushing yourself to move on to the next season of your life. We don’t want to be people who get so stuck in routine and the monotony of life that we miss out on our dreams and aspirations.

If you have the chance you should totally see this in 3D. It was my first full length feature film in 3D and it was amazing.

The Hangover
Rating: R for pervasive language, sexual content including nudity, and some drug material.

This crude comedy is set in Las Vegas when three friends take a buddy for his bachelor party for a night of partying and regrettable moments. The movie shows the guys heading to Vegas for this great night of debauchery, but then skips over the actual party and picks up the next morning. Three of guys wake up in a drunken stupor and realize that the soon to be groom has gone missing. The remainder of the movie is them trying to figure out what happened the night before and retracing their steps so they can find their missing friend. The thing that really bothered me about this movie is that there was no accountability for their actions. Throughout the film and even in the end; no one has to take any real responsibility for their actions. This frustrated me because real life is full of consequences for our actions and we can’t expect to live in sin without taking responsibility for our choices.

Look at Your Shoes Moments:
The whole movie is filled with crude jokes and lots of swearing, and not only that but there are a few moments of nudity. A lady breastfeeds in front of the guys and in another scene a naked man jumps out of a trunk and starts beating the guys up. The worst scenes of nudity were in the credits when they show pictures of what happened at the bachelor party.

The Hangover is one of those movies that has the lure of comedy and nonstop laughter, but there is a cost to seeing it. You’ve got to really ask yourself, is it worth watching a movie that contradicts many of your values about marriage, purity, and self control. Plus because of the nudity, crude jokes and constant swearing a movie like this could be a stumbling block for many and my recommendation is to avoid it all together.