Summary

  • The photos at the end of The Hangover, depicting the crazy night of the bachelor party, are confirmed to be completely real by director Todd Phillips.
  • The explicit and graphic photo of Zach Galifianakis' character was real, despite his attempts to convince the director to cut it from the movie.
  • The end credits photos were taken in Las Vegas during filming, capturing real moments amidst the city's everyday activities, adding to the excitement and enjoyment of the film.

The Hangover features some of its best content during the movie's credits, but are The Hangover photos at the end real? It may seem like the movie is over once the credits start rolling, but in fact, some of the funniest parts of the film happen through a collection of hilarious photos documenting the crazy night had by the characters in the movie, which may not be as fake as the film made it seem. The Hangover follows a Las Vegas bachelor party but, more accurately, shows the events afterward, in which the men are trying to find the missing groom before the wedding.

The biggest plot point of the original The Hangover is that Galifianakis' character, Alan, drugs the group, which leads them to forget everything they did during the night of the bachelor party. Throughout the film, the men slowly start to put the pieces of the night together, but that's only through questioning people they met during the night, and they still don't a single thing until they find a collection of photos taken during the eventful bachelor party. Both the characters and the audience find out exactly what happened, as The Hangover photos at the end reveal absolutely everything, but how real are they?

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Yes, The Hangover Photos Are Real

The Wolf Pack in an elevator in The Hangover

In an interview with The Hangover cast and capture photos of them doing intentionally weird things with his own camera and flash. So, while the viewers may see these photos and imagine them as staged with other actors or on a set, the truth is that they were taken much more spontaneously and without planning.

Out of the many pictures in the end credits, one stands out for its graphic nature. In it, Zach Galifianakis' character is supposed to be in a sexual situation with an older woman. The photo is pretty explicit, and yet this, too, was entirely real. Galifianakis noted, "I got talked into it. I offered Todd's assistant $1,000 if he could convince Todd not to have that in the movie." Despite the actor's efforts, Zach Galifianakis' picture still made it into the movie, and it only added to The Hangover photos at the end and now iconic credits sequence.

Where Were The Hangover End Credits Photos Taken?

The Walk Pack walks through a hallway in The Hangover

While the end credits photos are genuine, they were also taken in Las Vegas during the filming of The Hangover. This means that the cast and director went out into the city, most likely after a day of shooting, and took the photos amid plenty of real people going about their lives in Las Vegas, even potentially getting ersby to participate. Others were likely taken in between takes or once the scenes were shot, such as the pictures with the tiger.

Although the events of The Hangover are scripted, it's exciting to know that part of the film stems from the true unruly behavior behind the scenes of The Hangover. It also gives a fun timeline of what happened in The Hangover. The fact that the end credits photos are real makes them even more enjoyable. Plus, they make people wonder about the stories behind where and how they were taken, even if Galifianakis would rather keep it to himself.

What The Hangover Photos Reveal

The Wolf Pack looking at photos in The Hangover

The Hangover photos at the end begin with typical Vegas hijinks, such as the cast hanging around with strippers and taking limo rides, but it gradually gets more and more outrageous. The photos reveal how Alan got married and how he lost his tooth, as he pulled it out with pliers. However, while that shot is real, actor Ed Helms' tooth is actually a dental implant (via People). The photos then move on to the cast posing with guns and police cars and then messing around with Mike Tyson's tiger.

The photos even feature surprises that weren't mentioned in the movie, such as a brief cameo from comedian Carrot Top, who does cocaine with the cast. A photo of Alan getting his belly button tattoo can be seen in The Hangover photos at the end too, which is followed by several photos of Stu's wedding. All of these reveals in the credits made for the ultimate payoff for audiences, as they had been told for 95 minutes about a wild night they thought they'd never get to see.