The Hangover - A Review

Directed by Todd Philips

Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore

Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis

Rated R

100 minutes

2009

I haven't written about a new movie in a long time. I'm happy this is the one I chose to break the hiatus.

My appreciation for films has grown over the years. I am extremely selective about what I go to see in the theater, but owning a Blu-Ray player and HD TV with surround sound lowers your threshold quite a bit. All of a sudden I would find myself saying, "Of course I am going to watch Spider Man 3. It's Blu-Ray." Horrific, I know.

The story couldn't be more simple. Four guys party in Vegas - one of them is getting married the day after next - and enough shenanigans ensue that they have to deal with returning a tiger to Mike Tyson, a baby to a very recently married stripper/escort, a stolen police car, and a tiny, naked Asian man in the trunk of their actual car. And other stuff. Oh, the groom is missing, too.

The reason this movie succeeds on every level is mainly because it is plot-driven, and never forgets it. The beginning of the movie is centrally focused on the wedding preparations, and the entire second act is finding the missing groom for aforementioned wedding, and the third act is - you guess it - getting to the wedding.

This script could probably be used to teach film students the most basic lesson in screenwriting: every scene must propel the story forward and (ideally) increase intrigue/interest. Somehow this movie adds constant laughter to that simple-yet-difficult formula.

Onscreen, no one does a finer job in this than Zach Galifianakis. (Side note: pick up his live comedy dvd from 2006. He's fantastic). He plays the groom's brother-in-law-to-be, Alan. This guy has got every conceivable behavioral problem: short attention span, impulsive, a drug problem, is clearly battling depression, has a gambling problem, and is not allowed within 200 feet of any school. When it is suggested that card counting is illegal here is his reasoning: "It's frowned upon - like masturbating on a plane." No rational adult would think like that. Most rational adults I know aren't funny, either, so maybe this guy is onto something. When it is further explained to him that masturbating on a plane is also probably illegal, Alan explains that it only became illegal post 9/11. "Thanks, bin Laden."

The other guys are Bradley Cooper, who plays Phil, a life-hating-party-loving teacher (not believable that this guy could get away with any of his antics and still have a wife, kid, and job, but hey - it's Hollywood...well in this case, it's Vegas, too!), Ed Helms, who plays Stu, a p%*##$ whipped "dentist" who has a past life as a mega-partier, and Justin Bartha, who plays Doug - the groom (aka the "straight man" - think Luke Wilson's role in Old School).

Cooper is good in a Vince Vaughn-lite kind of way, Helms clearly has a wide comedic/acting range and could probably carry a movie on his own (and I predict he will before long), and Bartha is adequate in his straight man role. Bartha is the weak link. Even as the guy who plays it straight Luke Wilson cleaned up in getting laughs in Old School (of course, Wilson had gobs more screen time than Bartha, so I'll give Bartha some leeway).

While this a crude comedy to the its core, Todd Philips has matured greatly as a director. Prior to this, his three biggest movies were Road Trip, Old School, and Starsky & Hutch. I am a big fan of the latter two, but not for anything more than their comedic value. The Hangover is far more coherent as a story than either of the three big movies he's done, and it has a far more refined look. Phillips proves to be very adept at photographing the desert sands and bright lights of Vegas with the differential qualities they need in order to be completely effective.

Take my advice. Have some beers and grab a bunch of friends and watch this movie. Then go out on the town.

And try like the devil to avoid stealing Mike Tyson's tiger. You'll learn very quickly that, "He's still got it!"

Scott.