Bradley Cooper’s Wild Breakout Film Is Streaming For Free

Bradley Cooper stars in The Hangover, streaming now for free on Tubi.

By Sckylar Gibby-Brown | Updated

bradley cooper
Bradley Cooper in The Hangover (2009)

Bradley Cooper has been an active actor since 1999, but it wasn’t until 10 years into his career that he became a household name with his breakout comedy film The Hangover. Now, Cooper is the recipient of various accolades, has broken into the MCU, and is one of the highest-paid actors in the world. Cooper’s films have grossed $11 billion worldwide, and the film that started it all, The Hangover, is now available to watch for free on Tubi

The Hangover, starring Bradley Cooper, was written by the screenwriting duo Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who are also known for penning the scripts for many of our other favorite comedies, including Bad Moms (2016) and 21 & Over (2013). The Hangover was directed by Todd Phillips, who headed all three Hangover projects as both director and producer. Phillips is also known for directing other hit comedies, including Starsky & Hutch (2004), Due Date (2010), and War Dogs (2016), as well as more serious films like the critically acclaimed Joker (2019) starring Joaquin Phoenix.

The Hangover is a story about a bachelor party in Vegas that goes extremely wrong. When two best friends and an eccentric soon-to-be brother-in-law wake up with no memory of the previous night and the groom missing, the three must maneuver through Vegas in order to piece together the misadventures from the night before and find the bachelor. 

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Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, and Ed Helms in The Hangover (2009)

The film stars Bradley Cooper as the groom’s best friend number one, a sarcastic elementary school teacher named Phil. Ed Helms plays Stu, the groom’s best friend number two, an apprehensive dentist. The film also stars Zach Galifinakis as the unconventional brother of the bride. The missing groom was played by Justin Bartha. 

The Hangover was an instant success, seizing $468 million at the box office on a $35 million budget. The success of the comedy sent the three main actors from being somewhat recognizable for their previous projects into instant celebrity status. The rocket to fame came with its pros and cons for Bradley Cooper and his co-stars, but for Ed Helms in particular, the sudden notoriety was a difficult adjustment to make. 

Unlike Bradley Cooper, Helms had become somewhat famous before being cast in The Hangover. He was currently starring in The Office as Andy Bernard at the time of filming, and Helms had also spent four years as a correspondent for The Daily Show. However, the popularity of The Hangover transfigured Helms from being a regular guy on the street to a celebrity that people recognized, leaving the actor to deal with the crisis of how fame was changing his life.

The Hangover became an instant classic after its release, and the film ended up winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy that year. It was also named in the top 10 films of the year by the American Film Institute and won “Best Ensemble” from the Detroit Film Critics Society, thanks largely to Bradley Cooper and his costars. 

After filming The Hangover, Bradley Cooper would go on to film many more modern classics, including A Star Is Born (2018), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and American Hustle (2013).