Review: The Hangover (2009)

Director: Todd Phillips (Old School, Starsky & Hutch)

Cast: Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, Failure to Launch), Ed Helms (The Office, Meet Dave), Zach Galifianakis (Tru Calling, Dog Bites Man), Justin Bartha (National Treasure, Failure to Launch), Heather Graham (Austin Powers, Boogie Nights), Ken Jeong (Role Models), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development, Hellboy)

The Deal: Doug (Bartha) is getting married, so his two best friends, Phil and Stu (Cooper and Helms), and new brother-in-law, Alan (Galifianakis), are taking him to Vegas for a bachelor party. After partying way too hard, they wake up to find that Doug is missing and they can't remember the events of the previous night. The further they dig to find Dougbefore his wedding in two days, the more and more they discover from their insane and ridiculous night on the town.

Thoughts: This was the funniest film I've seen in a good long while. It's been touted as the best comedy since Old School, and Todd Phillips delivers a mighty effort. The story screams for comedic gold, and it is delivered in the wildest and most ridiculous fashion. The characters are all funny, and the consequences of their wild night consist of a what's what of greatest drunk stories ever. The laughs start from the get go and don't stop until half way through the credits. The only question that remains is whether this will survive the test of time like Old School has or slowly fade into an above average comedy.

The characters in the film were destined to bring the laughs, and the casting choices couldn't have been better. Ed Helms' character is similar to his on The Office (dress, personality, love of singing), and Cooper's character is a blend of fun partier and jerk you want to punch, which really sets up a lot of laughs. Galifianakis absolutely stole the show. His character had the potential to be the funniest, and he took it to completely new levels, delivering laughs with every second on screen. Bartha's role is small, as he's lost half the film, and Tambor is funny in his small bit as the bride's dad (I miss Arrested Development, so I love seeing him in anything).

The only thing that wasn't as funny as they thought it would be was Mr. Chow (Jeong). It was hilarious when he beats the crap out of the guys with a crow bar, but the rest of his scenes remain the least funny of the film. Thankfully, his role is relevant in the story and sets up some of the funniest scenes, so I'm not going to hold anything against him.

Make sure you stay for the first half of the credits, as we finally learn what all actually happened the night before. We learn some bits and pieces throughout the film, but the credits have some of the raunchiest moments from their night, and deliver a ton of laughs.

Verdict: One of the funniest films of the last few years. See this in theaters ASAP.☆☆☆☆

Note: If the film withstands the test of time like Old School has (ie, still funny after the 100th viewing or so), then the rating should be bumped up a little bit.