Hilarity Ensues: A Monkey's Review

Our dear Uncle Eddie has already written a eulogy of sorts for Tucker Max, but I figured now would be a good time to review “Hilarity Ensues,” sadly the last of the “fratire” Tucker Max books.

I have stayed up till the wee hours of the morning reading all of Tucker Max’s books (laughing uproariously, I might add), and this was no different. As I got near the end, there was a bit of a somber tone that it was all coming to an end; there may actually be tear stains on the last few pages. But before that happens, you’ll be treated to an exquisitely hilarious collection of boozing, soul-destroying, and exploitation that only Tucker Max and friends are capable of unleashing.

The quality of Tucker Max’s writing took a noticeable leap in between “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell” and “Assholes Finish First” (books number 1 and 2 in the Tucker Max saga). That progress continues here, as a lot of the self-reflection that surfaced in book 2 is more fully fleshed out here. You’ll definitely be interested to read about the aftermath of the crazy Los Angeles girlfriend (you know the one), and he even includes a special note for those of you considering the law school route (hint: don’t go). And this is coming from the guy who spent a semester of Duke Law School living in Cancun.

These are pretty much the last of the Tucker Max stories and by his own admission there really aren’t any more. Because of that, as much as I hate to say it, some of these stories (but not many) kind of fall flat. But there are more than enough laughs contained herein to forget the handful of duds.

The closing section of the book is about the weddings and the bachelor parties, a sort of “Where Are They Now?” section of Tucker and his crazy cast of friends (Hate, El Bingeroso, Credit, PWJ, GoldenBoy, and of course SlingBlade, who I honestly get more of a kick out of than Tucker himself).

We all know of Tucker Max’s “retirement” from partying, but the silver lining here is that he isn’t giving up writing. He mentions a self-help project he’d like to work on with a friend, and I’m sure the fans will be interested to see where he goes from here. No doubt we should pour a few out for him and his friends at the next WSO Happy Hour.

On his way out of a club (double fisting vodka clubs), Tucker gets stopped by a large bouncer: “You can’t bring those out here! It’s against the rules!”

“No sir, you don’t understand,” Tucker explains before chugging both drinks, throwing them into a garbage can, and sprint off to the next party. “The rules don’t apply to me.”

Indeed, Tucker. Indeed.

Read up and laugh, monkeys!

Monkey’s Review 1: Barbarians At the Gate
Monkey’s Review 2: The Financier
Monkey’s Review 3: Decision Points
Monkey’s Review 4: Debunkery
Monkey’s Review 5: When Genius Failed
Monkey’s Review 6: Monkey Business
Monkey’s Review 7: Death Of The Banker
Monkey’s Review 8: A Journey
Monkey’s Review 9: Damn It Feels Good To Be A Banker
Monkey’s Review 10: The Quants
Monkey’s Review 11: All About Hedge Funds
Monkey’s Review 12: The Unlikely Disciple
Monkey’s Review 13: Adventure Capitalist
Monkey’s Review 14: The Hedge Fund Book
Monkey’s Review 15: Investing In Hedge Fund of Funds
Monkey’s Review 16: Hilarity Ensues
Monkey’s Review 17: The Prince
Monkey’s Review 18: Markets Never Forget (But People Do)
Monkey’s Review 19: The Money Culture