Every story needs some kind of conflict, whether it’s superheroes punching aliens, a married couple fighting, or just one person struggling with themselves. While all films include some kind of conflict, some pay a lot less attention to that aspect than others and instead focus on developing the characters.
1. The Hangover Part II
As the highest-grossing sequel in m4uFree movie history, The Hangover Part II proved that sequels don’t have to be innovative to make money. This rote professional version of its predecessor is all about the same characters having another crazy night together, but at least it has a few funny moments.
Filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, who cited Howard Hawks’ 1959 Western Rio Bravo as the originator of his “hangout” aesthetic in an interview with Sight and Sound, and Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Slacker) have a similar film philosophy. In these movies, even the most mundane events are significant and meaningful.
They don’t work towards a narrative goal, and they focus on small sensations instead of action set-pieces or emotional catharsis. That’s what makes them a hangout movie. Paul Thomas Anderson’s recent films, including his shaggy stoner noir Inherent Vice and the upcoming Licorice Pizza, also fit this category.
2. The Hangover Part III
The most successful hangout movies are able to capture the essence of your own personal experiences. The details matter, and you are surrounded by characters who feel like old friends. These films often begin in a state of repression or with a character who is trying to escape from their current place of being. Jim Jarmusch and Richard Linklater have devoted a large part of their careers to perfecting this type of film.
Despite a few humorous moments, this third installment in the Hangover series fails to live up to its predecessors. Zach Galifianakis is given much more screen time, but his character’s descent into madness is less believable. It’s also disappointing to see Ken Jeong’s Chow reduced to a cameo. The film’s only saving grace is Todd Phillips’s masterful direction and a terrific cast of actors.
3. The Hangover Part IV
The first Hangover broke box office records, and its sequels took that same brash brand of comedy to even more massive heights. But now Todd Phillips is focusing on original projects and the future of Phil, Stu, and Alan’s misadventures is up in the air. The most successful hangout movies create moments that feel like your own memories. They may not capture specific details, but the feeling of being there carries just as much weight as a plot point or a specific joke.
Filmmakers like Jim Jarmusch and Richard Linklater master the hangout movie aesthetic. Their movies are filmed so the camera seems to disappear, transporting the audience into aimlessness. And it works, capturing the essence of what it feels like to spend time with friends and the sense of drifting without purpose. Quentin Tarantino calls this style “hang out cinema,” citing Howard Hawks’ 1959 Western Rio Bravo as the first example of the trend.
4. The Hangover Part V
Five minutes into this latest installment, a giraffe gets gruesomely decapitated by a freeway overpass. It’s a tangential event that’s likely to go down in movie history as the new “jumping the shark” moment. This genre-defying film has no overarching plot and relies on a series of small moments to create its own world. The characters become your friends, and their conversations feel like actual conversation that could happen to you.
Directors like Jim Jarmusch and Richard Linklater have dedicated their careers to perfecting this style. They let the camera almost disappear as they transport the audience into aimlessness. The end result is a movie that speaks as much through the subtle movement of a hand as it does through spoken dialogue.
5. The Hangover Part VI
The Hangover Part VI may not have been the first film to subvert the traditional narrative, but it certainly mastered the hangout movie aesthetic. It shifted the focus from goonish outcasts to their relationships with one another. This change paved the way for the more character-driven films of recent years. Hangout movies are defined by their lightness of tone and languid pace. They don’t work towards a dramatic climax, and instead rely on characters to entertain themselves.
Director Richard Linklater is a master of the hangout movie aesthetic. His second feature film, Slacker, reinvigorated the genre and launched Linklater’s career. His later work, Dazed and Confused, captured the slow, tangible nature of time that is so essential to this type of film. His characters feel like old friends the more you spend time with them. That’s the beauty of a great hangout movie.