What is the significance of the chicken in the hangover

The chicken's brooding, smoldering presence in the hotel suite made what might have been an ordinary bawdy comedy into something transcendent. A less capable actor, a cowardly actor, might have tried too hard, might have been unable to resist hitting the audience over its collective head with a hammer.

But that beautiful, cocksure chicken trusted the material, and it trusted its chicken instincts. It trusted us, too — trusted us to get the joke without having it explained to us, without diagrams and maps.

There was no talk of motivation, no origin myth, no script-by-numbers ribbon tying, everything grounded in context and meticulous backstory.

Life isn't like that. Life is chaos, the thrill of the unknown, the beauty of mystery and what comes next. Sometimes we don't need a reason or a signpost. Sometimes, life just is. And so it was with that magnificent chicken, with its perfectly timed squawks and walk-throughs.

That chicken was present. That chicken was elemental, man. That chicken belonged. June 20, When the guys wake up from their long night of debauchery in The Hangover , one of the first things you see is a chicken. How did it get there? I was wondering if anyone knew. I say let's solve the mystery! Where did the chicken come from? I will continue to update this post as new evidence arrives.

New evidence! But, you know the only reason it's there is because. I mean there is no rational explanation for it. And by the by, this post explains how the filmmakers managed to not harm the particular chicken in question in the midst of the shoot.

Big news! Labels: The Hangover. Richard Bellamy said…. FilmDr - Thank God! I wanted to know where that frickin' chicken came from and now you've opened it up to the blogosphere.

When the film ended with the guys gathered around to view the digital photos, my son got up to leave. I said, "Wait! I have to find out what happened! But no chicken! Some sort of Vegas perversion? June 20, at PM. The Film Doctor said…. The other three are missing for several hours; none of them can remember a thing since they were on the roof of Caesars Palace, drinking shots of Jagermeister.

And when you give your parking check to the doorman, why does he bring around a police car? And where is Doug? Their search provides a structure for the rest of the movie, during a very long day that includes a fact-finding visit to a wedding chapel, a violent encounter with a small but very mean Chinese mobster, a sweet hooker, an interview with an emergency room doctor and an encounter with Mike Tyson , whose tiger they appear they have stolen, although under the circumstances, he is fairly nice about it.

There is never an explanation for the chicken. Despite these events, "The Hangover" isn't simply a laff riot. I won't go so far as to describe it as a character study, but all three men have profound personality problems, and the Vegas trip works on them like applied emergency therapy.

The dentist is rigidly ruled by his bitchy girlfriend. The schoolteacher thinks nothing of stealing the money for a class trip. And Alan Well, Zach Galifianakis' performance is the kind of breakout performance that made John Belushi a star after "Animal House. It is a tribute to Galifianakis' acting that we actually believe he is sincere when he asks the clerk at the check-in counter: "Is this the real Caesars Palace?

Does Caesar live here? This movie is written, not assembled out of off-the-shelf parts from the Apatow Surplus Store. There is a level of detail and observation in the dialogue that's sort of remarkable: These characters aren't generically funny, but specifically funny.

The actors make them halfway convincing. Phillips has them encountering a mixed bag of weird characters, which is standard, but the characters aren't.

Chow Ken Jeong , the vertically challenged naked man they find locked in the trunk of the police car, is strong, skilled in martial arts and really mean about Alan's obesity. He finds almost anything a fat man does to be hilarious.

When he finds his clothes and his henchmen, he is not to be trifled with. Is "The Hangover" based on a book? What movie was Alan referring to? Where did the chicken come from? What song is played as they come down the escalator?

What are the differences between the theatrical cut and the unrated cut? How about the UK release? Why did they call roofies "roofalin"? The FAQ items below may give away important plot points.

Why did Doug spend two days on the roof if that is where he was all along? Create a list ». Top Comedy Movies.