The Hangover
Angelenos Doug Billings and Tracy Garner are about to get married. Two days before the wedding, the four men in the wedding party - Doug, Doug's two best buddies Phil Wenneck and Stu Price, and Tracy's brother Alan Garner - hop into Tracy's father's beloved Mercedes convertible for a 24-hour stag party to Las Vegas. Phil, a married high school teacher, has the same maturity level as his students when he's with his pals. Stu, a dentist, is worried about everything, especially what his controlling girlfriend Melissa thinks. Because she disapproves of traditional male bonding rituals, Stu has to lie to her about the stag, he telling her that they are going on a wine tasting tour in the Napa Valley. Regardless, he intends on eventually marrying her, against the advice and wishes of his friends. And Alan seems to be unaware of what are considered the social graces of the western world. The morning after their arrival in Las Vegas, they awaken in their hotel suite each with the worst hangover. None remembers what happened in the past twelve or so hours. The suite is in shambles. And certain things are in the suite that shouldn't be, and certain things that should be in the suite are missing. Probably the most important in the latter category is Doug. As Phil, Stu and Alan try to find Doug using only what little pieces of information they have at hand, they go on a journey of discovery of how certain things got into the suite and what happened to the missing items. However they are on a race for time as if they can't find Doug in the next few hours, they are going to have to explain to Tracy why they are not yet back in Los Angeles. And even worse, they may not find Doug at all before the wedding.
Despite a mid-range budget of $35.0M, The Hangover became a runaway success, earning $469.3M worldwide—a remarkable 1241% return.
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award13 wins & 25 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Hangover (2009) exemplifies strategically placed story structure, characteristic of Todd Phillips's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 40 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Doug sits on the edge of a fountain in the desert, disheveled and alone. He makes a phone call to Tracy saying "We're all fine" - establishing the flash-forward frame that shows the "after" state before revealing how they got there.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when The guys arrive in Vegas at Caesars Palace. The glittering city represents temptation and freedom from their ordinary lives. Alan toasts "to a night we'll never forget" on the rooftop - ironic foreshadowing of the blackout to come.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Phil, Stu, and Alan discover Doug is missing and realize they have no memory of the previous night. They make the active choice to retrace their steps and find Doug before the wedding in five hours. The mystery quest begins., moving from reaction to action.
At 50 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat The guys discover their missing Mercedes in a impound lot. Stakes raise when they learn it will cost $80 to retrieve it - money they don't have. False defeat: they think finding the car will lead to Doug, but this hope is immediately challenged., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 74 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, After the naked Mr. Chow escapes from their trunk and the police chase ends in their arrest, the guys realize they're out of options. It's 4 hours to the wedding and Doug is still missing. Stu declares "We're screwed" - complete defeat and hopelessness., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 79 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Sid bails them out of jail. Alan looks at the photos on the digital camera they found earlier - the photographic evidence of their night. This triggers the breakthrough: Alan realizes from the hospital wristband in a photo where they can find answers about what happened., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Hangover's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping The Hangover against these established plot points, we can identify how Todd Phillips utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Hangover within the comedy genre.
Todd Phillips's Structural Approach
Among the 10 Todd Phillips films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.9, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. The Hangover represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Todd Phillips filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Todd Phillips analyses, see School for Scoundrels, Due Date and War Dogs.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Doug sits on the edge of a fountain in the desert, disheveled and alone. He makes a phone call to Tracy saying "We're all fine" - establishing the flash-forward frame that shows the "after" state before revealing how they got there.
Theme
Sid (Tracy's father) tells Doug: "Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except herpes. That shit will come back with you." Dark comedy foreshadowing that their Vegas adventure will have lasting consequences they can't escape.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the four friends: Doug (the groom), Phil (unhappily married teacher), Stu (dentist with controlling girlfriend Melissa), and Alan (socially awkward brother-in-law). They prepare for Doug's bachelor party road trip to Vegas.
Disruption
The guys arrive in Vegas at Caesars Palace. The glittering city represents temptation and freedom from their ordinary lives. Alan toasts "to a night we'll never forget" on the rooftop - ironic foreshadowing of the blackout to come.
Resistance
The guys check into their villa suite, make the rooftop toast with Jägermeister (spiked by Alan with rohypnol), and flash-forward to waking up in the trashed hotel room. They discover: a tiger in the bathroom, a chicken, a missing tooth (Stu), a baby, and Doug is missing.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Phil, Stu, and Alan discover Doug is missing and realize they have no memory of the previous night. They make the active choice to retrace their steps and find Doug before the wedding in five hours. The mystery quest begins.
Mirror World
The guys find a valet ticket in Stu's pocket and retrieve their car - discovering Mike Tyson's tiger in the backseat. This introduces the pattern: each clue leads to absurd consequences and forces them to confront what they're capable of when uninhibited.
Premise
The "fun and games" of retracing their steps: returning the tiger to Mike Tyson, discovering Stu married a stripper named Jade, getting punched by Tyson, finding the baby's mom, following increasingly bizarre clues through Vegas. The promise of the premise delivers escalating absurdity.
Midpoint
The guys discover their missing Mercedes in a impound lot. Stakes raise when they learn it will cost $80 to retrieve it - money they don't have. False defeat: they think finding the car will lead to Doug, but this hope is immediately challenged.
Opposition
Pressure intensifies: they pawn Stu's grandmother's ring, deal with the baby, encounter "Black Doug" at the wrong address, get kidnapped by gangster Mr. Chow who claims they stole $80,000, break into a hospital, and are chased by police. Time is running out.
Collapse
After the naked Mr. Chow escapes from their trunk and the police chase ends in their arrest, the guys realize they're out of options. It's 4 hours to the wedding and Doug is still missing. Stu declares "We're screwed" - complete defeat and hopelessness.
Crisis
In jail, the guys sit in despair. Stu calls Tracy to confess Doug is missing. Phil processes that he'll have to tell his best friend's fiancée he lost the groom. They face the consequences of their recklessness as the wedding approaches.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Sid bails them out of jail. Alan looks at the photos on the digital camera they found earlier - the photographic evidence of their night. This triggers the breakthrough: Alan realizes from the hospital wristband in a photo where they can find answers about what happened.
Synthesis
They rush to the hospital, piece together that they took "roofies," and Alan has his revelation that he drugged them accidentally. Stu suddenly remembers: Doug is on the roof of Caesars. They race back, rescue Doug from the roof where he's been sunburned for a day, speed to the wedding, and arrive just in time. Doug marries Tracy.
Transformation
At the wedding reception, Stu stands up to Melissa and breaks up with her confidently. The four friends look at the developed photos from the camera together, finally seeing what happened that night - laughing at the chaos. They've been transformed by embracing unpredictability.