Stag and hen nights are, at their best, unforgettable parties which act as a perfect prelude to the ‘happiest day of your life’. They’re seen as one last hurrah for being single and free before being tied down in a marriage which, with luck, will last for year after year. However, stag nights are also a good excuse for some down and dirty fun, as many films have shown us over the decades.
To show how the stag and hen do has been celebrated or twisted on the silver screen, we pick out a few films which show their good and bad sides:
The Hangover trilogy
Although the second and third ones weren’t as good, together, the trilogy showed that with free rein, just about anything can happen on a stag night if enough alcohol is consumed! Among the things featuring in the films include a tiger and a wooden cameo from former World Heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson!
The Bachelor Party
Watching this film on DVD today, it would seem pretty dated; tame, even. However, when it was first released, it had attracted attention because it was so controversial. The actual party featured a belly dancer, a donkey and, of course, strippers! Watching something like that back could be embarrassing; 70% of men and 57% of women would stop their spouse seeing a video of their own party according to a recently-conducted survey by Ladbrokes Bingo.
Bridesmaids
Every bit as coarse and raucous as the Hangover trilogy, Bridesmaids was lauded as one of the best films of 2011. What made it so refreshing was that it revealed that hen parties can be every bit as exciting as stag dos, while it also helped to launch a few careers. At heart, it’s a rom-com but it bends the formula pretty well.
American Wedding
Before the American Pie franchise really began to drag on by churning out straight-to-DVD films ad infinitum, the third instalment of the original trilogy used gross-out humour to good effect leading up to a wedding. It was a good send off for Jim and Michelle, whose romance developed over the past two films despite a series of unfortunate mishaps.
One Comment
American pie Wedding was very funny and gross in places.