With Andy being at the National Forensics League National Tournament, I'll be flying solo this week and taking a look at the R-rated comedy The Hangover. In the film four friends (played by Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha and Zach Galifianakis) venture to Las Vegas for a one-night bachelor party. When they wake up the next morning they are missing the groom-to-be (Bartha) and do not remember any of the events of the past night. Todd Phillips directs.
Last summer produced some pretty good comedies (Step Brothers, Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express) but all of them were lacking a certain element that would have propelled them to the next level. Last week's Land of the Lost got the summer off to a bad start — from a comedic standpoint — but rest assured -- The Hangover is legit. It is hands-down one of the funniest films that I've seen in months if not years. The R-rated shenanigans might not be for everybody but if one is looking for a genuinely funny film then The Hangover is it. From start to finish the movie is consistently laugh-out-loud funny. The movie delivers the laughs like few films do.
One reason that the comedy works is due to the perfectly casted cast. The movie is lacking in the big names department but that is definitely not an issue. All four leads successfully play off one another and interact in a way that maximizes the laughs. While the entire cast shines, there's no doubt that the breakout performance in the film is that of Galifianakis. Galifianakis' character is a bit eccentric (to say the least) but he plays him so straight that he's able to garner laughs in almost every scene that he's in. The other star-making performance in the movie is that of Cooper. Cooper has done some solid supporting work here in recent years but with The Hangover he aptly demonstrates that he can headline a summer box-office hit.
This movie is also a nice rebound for the director, Todd Phillips. For the most part the film has received positive reviews and has become somewhat of a box-office phenomenon by surprisingly finishing first for two weeks in a row. Phillips's last effort was the box-office disappointment, and Jon Heder vehicle, School for Scoundrels. But with The Hangover, Phillips has added another comedic gem to his catalog, which already includes Road Trip, Old School and Starsky and Hutch. Out of those three films Old School is considered his best work but I'm here to say that The Hangover is every bit as funny as Old School. The Hangover is an instant comedic classic. This is truly a film that has lived up to its buzz.
As an R-rated comedy The Hangover might not be everybody's cup of tea but for those moviegoers looking for a solid summer comedy than look no further than The Hangover.
Final grade: A-.
Entertainment
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Frank Masi/Associated Press
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