10 Hilarious Movies Like The Hangover Ranked

Todd Phillips' "The Hangover" took a tried-and-true genre, the buddy flick, and brought it to a totally hedonistic place. The film follows a group of friends — sarcastic Phil (Bradley Cooper), submissive Stu (Ed Helms), and strange Alan (Zach Galifianakis) — who go to Las Vegas for the bachelor party of their straight-laced buddy, Doug (Justin Bartha). The guys wake up the morning after the bachelor party with no memory of the night before and no idea of Doug's whereabouts. They embark on an odyssey through the desert to find Doug, which takes them into a world of drugs, tigers, and Mike Tyson's fists.

"The Hangover" spawned a wildly successful trilogy that grossed $1.4 billion dollars worldwide. Its success is no surprise as it has all the makings of a great comedy film: wild debauchery, a wedding/bachelor setting, and an unexpected journey filled with surprise cameos and hijinks. At its heart, "The Hangover" has the unshakable cinematic foundation of a group of disparate friends who both challenge and complement each other. Their dynamics drive the film forward, making the situations even funnier, because come on, what's richer or more fun to watch than friendship? So read on to find the top 10 party buddy movies like "The Hangover," ranked from best to worst.

While "The Hangover" revolves around grown men acting like children, "Superbad" is about children trying to act like men. Written by Seth Rogen and his childhood friend/longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg, Judd Apatow's "Superbad" is based on a simple premise: Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are best friends who are about to graduate high school, so they're determined to have one last hurrah and finally lose their virginity. The seemingly simple plan — get alcohol for a party — transforms into a journey through the dark soul of the night as the two friends get caught up with some fun-loving police officers (played by Seth Rogen and Bill Hader) and sidetracked by their fake-ID-wielding friend, McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).

Goldberg and Rogen started writing "Superbad" when they were just 13, and while it took years for the script to take shape, that personal realness is what sets it apart. The film was an immediate success with its quotable one-liners (thanks to "Superbad," we now have "DTF" in the lexicon) and representation of a time of life that many boys know all too well. It resonated with critics, too, as it became one of the more beloved comedies of the 2000s. "Superbad" stands out because while it's raunchy, it's not just gross gags and wild plot points — it's a film about friendship and the particular type of adolescent humiliation, fear, and insecurity that's pretty universal, no matter how bad or super bad you once were.

For a long time, many saw the party buddy genre as a male one; this type of Peter Pan syndrome combined with crazy adventures, gross-out humor, and poop jokes was native only to the Land of Men. All this changed with Paul Feig's "Bridesmaids" in 2011. Kristen Wiig and childhood friend Annie Mumolo wrote this film about two close friends who realize that they're not in the same place anymore. Wiig plays Annie, a single woman struggling to make ends meet who's asked to be the maid of honor for her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolf). Annie is quickly in over her head as she tries to make Lillian happy and wrangle the rest of the put together and well-off bridesmaids: overworked mom Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey), naive Becca (Ellie Kemper), out-there Megan (Melissa McCarthy in her glorious breakout role), and the seemingly perfect Helen (Rose Byrne).

"Bridesmaids" almost singlehandedly changed comedy as suddenly, people (read: film executives) realized that women too can be disgusting and immature and funny (via The Hollywood Reporter). The film brilliantly subverts prim and proper wedding tropes so that something like a glamorous wedding dress fitting scene becomes a montage of food poisoning coming out of all ends. But what really sets "Bridesmaids" apart isn't just that it copies and pastes women into a male-dominated space, but rather it creates something new by focusing on the specifics of female friendships, which grounds the movie and gives it both its edge and its heart. 

"Girls Trip" takes where "Bridesmaids" left off and brings it to a fresh, new place with its story of a group of African-American friends. The film follows four lifelong friends — lifestyle celebrity Ryan (Regina Hall), uptight nurse Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith), struggling journalist Sasha (Queen Latifah), and wild child Dina (Tiffany Haddish in her beyond breakout role) — as they reconnect on a trip to New Orleans. They're not as close as they once were, so in the midst of absinthe trips, Bourbon Street zip-lining, and intimate engagements with grapefruits, the four friends discover new things about themselves and each other.

"Girls Trip" finds that balance between physical comedy and the grounded reality of friendships. The "Flossy Posse" have known each other for years but are shocked to discover that their visions of each other may be outdated. It's a bittersweet feeling to realize that someone you've known your whole life isn't the same as they were at 20. "Girls Trip" has its fair share of gags and gross-out humor in this bacchanal setting of New Orleans, but like other great comedies, it's about the relationships of these friends. And similarly to the way in which "Bridesmaids" adapted comedy for a female space, "Girls Trip" does the same for a Black female space, capturing a world and community that many may know but isn't often celebrated on screen. It does so with the help of its cast and their chemistry as they all meander between debauchery and grounding.

For many, "21 Jump Street" calls to mind a 1980s cop procedural starring young Johnny Depp, but the 2012 film adaptation turned its source material on its head. Phil Lord and Chris Miller's film brings together Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as two cops going undercover at a high school to bring down a teen drug ring. Former jock Jenko (Tatum) and former nerd Schmidt (Hill) prepare themselves for a return to high school but discover that things don't work the way they used to: nerds are now cool, and jocks are now nerds, so both men get a chance to redo their teenage experience.

"21 Jump Street" is a cop film that takes place in a wild teenage party space, but really, it's about two old friends who get the chance to rewrite themselves and their friendship. Similar to Bradley Cooper, who was mostly known as a dramatic actor prior to "The Hangover," Channing Tatum surprises in "21 Jump Street" as a comedian. He struggles to fit into a world whose rules he no longer understands and helplessly watches as his best friend finally gets to shine (while leaving Jenko behind). The film is often laugh-out-loud funny, but it's also poignant as each character confronts who they were then versus who they are. Although it's a two-hander unlike "The Hangover," "21 Jump Street" benefits from a stellar ensemble cast that includes Ice Cube, Dave Franco, Brie Larson, and Johnny Depp in a return to his roots.

"Neighbors" is a comedy that answers the age-old question: What would happen if a frat moved in next door? The film centers around Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne), who have a new baby. They struggle to adjust to parenthood, which demands a type of adulthood for which neither feels ready, and this process becomes infinitely more difficult when the Delta Psi Beta fraternity moves in next door. Teddy (Zac Efron) is the leader of the frat, and he butts heads with Mac and Kelly as they're cramping his and his brothers' style of being reckless and throwing huge parties. Of course, the frat is ruining the couple's lives with their non-stop chaos and noise.

Part of the success of "The Hangover" is in its letting unhappy, immature men run free and find some happiness outside the confines of a society that demands that they be responsible adults. "Neighbors" plays into that feeling as Mac and Teddy are both basically parts of the same person. Teddy is the young man that Mac once was and still wishes he were, while Mac is the future of adulthood and semi-maturity that Teddy dreads. So, they're locked in this absurd tango of escalating moves and schemes, which makes the movie feel both ridiculous and real all at once. After all, who doesn't occasionally (or constantly) feel exhausted by the burdens of responsibility of adulthood and want to just have a dance-off with your hot, younger, more irresponsible self?

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg teamed up again to write another buddy party flick that draws from their own lives (sort of) with "This Is the End." The meta-comedy centers around Seth, Evan, and a group of comedians — including Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, and Jonah Hill — who are hanging out at an epic party at James Franco's house. It's even more epic than they realize when they discover the apocalypse is beginning, and with demons, cannibals, and sinkholes appearing all over, it's every comedian (and Emma Watson) for themselves.

"This Is the End" follows some similar formulas as "The Hangover" — it follows a group of old friends who embark on a wild and crazy journey. The film is nothing but fun as these actors are all friends in real life and enjoy playing and messing with the images that audiences might have of them (e.g. Michael Cera plays a version of himself who's a huge jerk with a coke problem). At the same time, there's a sincerity to it because these are all actors who know each other, which elevates the hilarious dialogue and improv while also situating it in something darker as their friendships and senses of self are put to the test.

"Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" joins a storied line of stoned buddy films, and while its title tells you the end of the story, it doesn't tell you all that it takes to get there. Harold (John Cho) is an investment banker whose xenophobic coworkers make him do their work, while his best friend, Kumar (Kal Penn), is a brilliant doctor who purposefully bombs his medical school interview out of fear of being a stereotypical Indian doctor. The two friends get high one night and decide to go to White Castle — a seemingly simple task that snowballs into a night of performing surgeries, picking up a super high Neil Patrick Harris, and punching racist cops in the face.

Despite the silly premise, "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" is a subversive comedy because it features two Asian characters in a genre that's typically been dominated by white guys (per Nylon). Perhaps more importantly, neither Harold nor Kumar is a stereotype, and over the course of their long night, they both encounter various forms of racism and microaggressions, which aren't played for laughs. The characters are smart, funny, charismatic, and in control of the laughter rather than the butt of the joke. It's a significant distinction that was nearly unheard of when the film was released in 2004, and it remains an anomaly today, although that's changing thanks to the success of films like "Harold and Kumar" and "Girls Trip."

Considering how chaotic weddings can get in real life, it's no surprise that there's a sub-genre of comedy devoted to them. People seem incapable of acting rationally when a wedding is happening, which is exactly what best friends John (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) bank on in "Wedding Crashers." The two friends crash weddings to meet and sleep with women who fall for their charms and lies, but find themselves in uncharted territory when they crash the wedding of the daughter of a prominent senator. John falls for sweet and sarcastic Claire (Rachel McAdams), one of the senator's other daughters, while Jeremy gets caught in the grip of the wild Gloria (Isla Fisher), the senator's other daughter. As both men become entwined with the senator's family, they realize that their wedding crashing lies will soon catch up to them.

While "Wedding Crashers" reads as a rom-com, it's really a buddy comedy that's more aligned with "The Hangover" than "My Best Friend's Wedding." John and Jeremy find themselves in an unknown space and have to help each other navigate through it, but it's not always smooth sailing as they drift apart to meet their own needs. Ultimately, this is the relationship that matters more than the romantic ones. The chemistry between Wilson and Vaughn makes this a classic as the two of them sync up and move together like a couple doing a surprise choreographed first wedding dance (which was popular in the mid-2000s).

"Bad Moms" joins the canon of "women can be raunchy and funny too" movies and brings a new spin — it centers around a group of moms, a demographic often unfairly left out of the raunchy and funny space. The movie follows Amy (Mila Kunis), a working mom who does it all as far as child-rearing and kicks out her husband after she discovers him cheating. The overworked Amy is at her breaking point when she meets Carla (Kathryn Hahn), a sex-positive single mother, and Kiki (Kristen Bell), an under-appreciated stay-at-home-mom whose husband expects her to do literally everything. The three moms decide to rebel against the demands of their time, bodies, and energy and take a looser approach to motherhood that involves drinking, partying, and letting their kids make their own damn breakfast.

"Bad Moms" has a novel premise that directly challenges some confining and outdated ideas of motherhood that still get promoted by media and society. While it may be shocking to see these moms take shots like they're college students, underneath these shots is something very real: a group of women who don't feel seen or appreciated. Amy, Carla, and Kiki are all rendered both hyper-visible as mothers (who have to be perfect) and totally invisible as mothers (whose work and efforts go ignored), and the movie's strength is in showing how they all see each other in a real way.

Before directing "The Hangover," Todd Phillips made his mark in the buddy comedy genre with 2003's "Old School." The film centers around Mitch (Luke Wilson), a newly single and heartbroken man who moves into a house near a university. Not long after, the university dean (Jeremy Piven) tells Mitch he has to move out because the house is just for campus housing, so Mitch decides to start a fraternity with his best friends, Frank (Will Ferrell) and Bernard (Vince Vaughn). Their frat is a free-for-all that is open to anyone who wants to join, and it initiates an all-out war with the dean. Eventually, Mitch and his friends are forced to fight for the right to live in the house.

While "Old School" does follow in the "Animal House" tradition, the film also has the Todd Phillips touch that made the "Hangover" franchise so successful as it features a group of different friends who together form a whole, complete entity. Mitch is the straight guy, Frank is the wacky one, and Bernard is the witty schemer, but really, they're all adolescent adults trying to hold onto their youth. It's an understandable desire because these characters are all confronted with difficult changes like breakups and marriages. With a cast like this, Phillips found comedy gold that has made "Old School" a classic for decades.