Basic Trope: A groom-to-be celebrates his "last night of freedom" before the wedding.
- Straight: Bob is engaged to Alice. Carl, his best man, throws him a party with lots of alcohol and at least one stripper.
- Exaggerated: Carl hires Bob a prostitute.
- Downplayed: Carl takes Bob on a "Boys' Night Out," but it involves things like golf or a fancy cigar bar, not booze and strippers.
- Justified: This is seen as a rite of passage of sorts. Sort of fond reminiscing about Wacky Fratboy Hijinx and the single life, and celebrating the end of one chapter of the groom-to-be's life and the beginning of a new one. It also serves to remind his buddies that yeah, they may not get to go out and party as much as they used to, but they still matter.
- Inverted: Bob has been partying hard ever since Alice accepted his proposal, and Carl suggests that he have a quiet night in with her.
- Gender-Inverted:
- Alice is engaged to Bob. Her maid of honor, Charlotte, throws her a wild party with cocktails, penis paraphernalia, and at least one stripper.
- While Bob is out celebrating his "last night of freedom" with his friends, Charlotte throws Alice a (perfectly G-rated) bridal shower.
- Subverted:
- It starts out as a typical night of beer and poker.
- Rather than getting upset with Bob, as his buddies expect, Alice tells Bob to be safe and have a good time, and uses the time to watch a movie at home.
- The "entertainment" is not a stripper, but a Sultry Belly Dancer.
- Instead of separate parties, Alice and Bob go out together with their mutual friends after the rehearsal dinner.
- Double Subverted:
- Then the "entertainment" arrives! Several strippers! Yay!
- The movie makes Alice worry about what Bob is doing, and she calls several times to "check up on him."
- Bob's buddies hoot and whistle at her, just as if she were a stripper, and she and Bob dance together on the table.
- Carl leads the men away from the women, so each group can have their own party.
- Parodied: A nun walks in on the party...then winds up dancing on the table while Bob's friends catcall and whistle at her.
- Zig-Zagged: ???
- Averted:
- Bob's friends throw him no such party.
- They hang out, but do not engage in any risque or questionable activities.
- Bob is not getting married.
- Enforced: The director of the show wants to have some T&A to increase the ratings, and stag party strippers is one way to do that.
- Lampshaded: "Come on, Bob! It's your last night of freedom! Enjoy it!"
- Invoked: Bob is the first (or maybe last) of his friends to marry, and his friends want to do something nice for him to celebrate.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Bob refuses such a party, because it just isn't his thing.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed: If it's done the actual night before the wedding, it may result in Bob and his groomsmen buddies hungover on the big day. Also, someone Bob may not want to witness this (such as Alice, her parents, his parents, the pastor) just might. And it's a big challenge to Bob's fidelity, which is part of the appeal.
- Reconstructed:
- The party is held at least a week in advance, so that there are no hangovers on the wedding day, and any Alcohol-Induced Idiocy can be rectified. Alice and Bob talk about what is and is not OK at their respective parties, and exercise enough willpower to not "cross the line." Alice uses the time to do something fun (maybe at home, maybe with her Girl Posse) to rein in the Green-Eyed Monster so she doesn't ruin Bob's night out.
- Or the debauchery is kept to a minimum.
- Played For Laughs: Bob's "friends" get him drunk and send him on a bus in his Goofy Print Underwear.
- Played For Drama:
- Alice witnesses Bob getting a lapdance, and starts to feel jealous.
- Bob had a little too much fun at the party and wound up cheating on Alice.
- All the fun he had at the wild party generates a great feeling of doubt and insecurity on Bob, who now isn't sure if he really wants to marry Alice and leave behind his unbound and excess-ridden bachelor's life.
- Just the thought of Bob at a strip club (even if he doesn't get a lapdance...or even actually have a stripper at the party) is turning Alice into a Yandere.
- Alice has gone to bed after a long night of finishing up DIY projects for the wedding, and receives a phone call from the police, or the hospital, saying that Bob is there. When she comes to bail him out, or he's discharged from the emergency room, she is extremely upset with him, and the wedding is in jeopardy (or gets called off).
- Alice receives a phone call from the morgue, saying that Bob is there, because he got in the car with Carl, who was driving drunk and crashed the car. Bob was pronounced dead at the scene.
- Alice becomes resentful, because not only is Bob not culturally expected to do much more in preparation for the wedding than show up and wear a tux, he's out having fun and celebrating his "last night of freedom", while Alice is stuck spending her "last night of freedom" working on putting together centerpieces, favor boxes, etc. instead of doing anything fun.
- Bob's bachelor party didn't involve strippers, but he finds out Alice's bachelorette party did, and he feels like she cheated on him. (Or, even worse, his party did, but he's holding Alice to a higher standard.)
Back to Stag Party.
