THE HANGOVER

by Gordon

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Released: 2009

Rating: R [pervasive language, sexual content including nudity, and some drug material]

Runtime: 100 min.

Main Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis

Rotten Tomatoes: 77% IMDB: 8.0/10

When I first saw the title for this film and got its gist, I immediately wondered, “Why the hell has no one made this movie yet??” Turns out the end result was less about a hangover and more about the forgotten events that transpired during their Las Vegas night of fun, but still everything you’d want and expect from a movie about a hangover (and much still a surprise). With dumb comedies like Semi-Pro (no offense to the usually funny Will Ferrell) running rampant, and even good Judd Apatow comedies taking the lead (no real problems there), The Hangover is a pleasantly new, somewhat guilty trip into a separate venue of comedy that’s up there with the best of them.

The cast was a unique and almost surprising one, but promising from the start. An avid watcher of The Office, I know how funny Ed Helms is and can be, and was happy to see him breaking new ground in a major motion picture. Bradley Cooper, most notable as the jackass boyfriend from Wedding Crashers, was a bit of a gamble as his comedy chops have yet to be proved (but good comedy always needs a straight man), and Zach Galifianakis has held my attention as a typically hilarious goofball, his intentional weirdness displayed through his stand-up, Funny or Die sketches (Between Two Ferns a must-see…please see), and minor roles in Reno 911! and rarely mainstream movie roles.

The film opens with its three stars (whose characters could barely be described as friends) join one another and mutual friend Doug (Justin Bartha) on a road trip to Vegas for his bachelor party just two days before his wedding. The first thing we see after their first toast on the roof (preceded by a hilarious speech by Galifianakis) is the painful wake-up the next morning, a relatable feeling for any guy who’s ever had a night that was more fun than soberly possible. From there, the film takes a Memento-style (almost?) approach to a step-by-step discovery of the night’s prior events, all the while releasing a barrel of hilariously unfortunate new ones.

The plot twists are unexpected and the jokes in-your-face. While any kind of gross-out or screwball comedy typically relies only on those characteristics themselves, The Hangover touches a seldom-hit nerve somewhere near the funny bone where the laughs are outrageous but also relatable in an outrageously believable way.

Ed Helms plays a great more-grown-up-than-I-should-be newly married dork. Bradley Cooper plays the good-looking, cool-guy, still unexempt from letting loose adventurer. Zach Galifianakis plays the bearded, quasi-retarded say-what-I-think weird guy who most of us (the cooler ones in my view) can relate to, if only in the privacy of our own thoughts. When forced into a mutual dilemma, the eclectic group provides enough laughs and observations from enough viewpoints to warrant substantial appreciation from any viewer, regardless of particularity in terms of comical enjoyment.

The Hangover isn’t hilarious for everyone. My mom for instance barely cracked a smile. But if you’re not too uptight about vulgarity/crudeness, if you’ve ever gotten drunk before and had a great or even horrible night as a result, if you enjoy road trips with or without people that you care about, or if you simply enoy seeing grown men hold onto their often-fading quality of childlike immaturity, The Hangover was made for you.