The Hangover it was not, but it still made my husband and I laugh outloud several times. The plot is really weeak, and the language tries too hard to be crude, but- overall the film is funny enough to make it worth your while. There are many subtle (and some not-so-subtle) 80's movie reference that are great if you catch them. I imagine this movie would not be as funny to someone who did not acutally live durning the 80's.
My 8 year old and I have read the books, so we were pretty excited for the show. The special effects were pretty good. They strayed from the book as far as location and story line (making it more predictble), but it was still enjoyable. Would NOT recommend for younger children (the little girl stitting in out row said "ths is going to give me nightmares" shortly after the show began).