THE HANGOVER (R)
Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha
Released by Warner Brothers

The raucous new comedy The Hangover had distributor Warner Brothers on such a pre-release high, that the studio ordered up a sequel before the film even made its theatrical bow. For months, The Hangover has been garnering strong buzz through test screenings and presentations at events like ShoWest. The aggressive marketing payed off, because The Hangover has become a bonafide sleeper hit (at press time, it had pulled in a whopping $153 million–not bad for a film that cost in the neighborhood of $35 million to produce). So is this film as funny as everyone says it is? In my humble opinion, The Hangover is a hoot but it isn't exactly the comical masterwork some are proclaiming it to be.

In The Hangover, four buddies (played by Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha) head out to sin city to let lose in honor of an upcoming wedding. Unfortunately, the next morning isn't particularly kind to our fearless leads as they awaken to discover that the previous night's activities are a complete blur. Making matters worse, the groom is nowhere to be found. For the next several hours, an exasperated trio take to the Las Vegas streets in an attempt to find their missing buddy all while trying to remember what happened the night before.

The Hangover is sort of a Bachelor Party for a new generation. While the Tom Hanks film from 1984 wasn't exactly a blockbuster, it charts high amongst my all time favorite comedies. Having said that, The Hangover is one of the better comedies of 2009. It isn't at the same level as I Love You, Man, but it's vastly superior to many of the other comedies we've seen recently (i.e. Land of the Lost, Year One, etc.).

The Hangover was directed by Todd Phillips (Old School), and its nice to have him back in the R rated arena where he belongs. After a couple of tepid PG-13 rated efforts (Starsky and Hutch and School For Scoundrels), Phillips has opted to let lose here although strangely, there are times when The Hangover doesn't go quite far enough. Rather than showing his leads in a drunken stooper, Phillips and screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore opt to treat The Hangover like one of those scary films where we never actually see the monster. Actually, that's not entirely true. We are privy to some of the crazy night excess by means of security surveillance footage and still photos during the end credits. Mostly though, the film is about "the day after".

Of the cast, its Helms, and Galifianakis who leave the biggest impression. As a man constantly bullied by his wife, Helms plays the only character really worth rooting for in the picture. He sort of reminded me of Daniel Stern in City Slickers. He has several memorable moments to speak of including a gag involving a missing tooth and a wonderfully funny musical number. Stand up comic Zach Galifianakis (who was positively brilliant in last year's little seen "Visioneers) is an absolute scream as the film's token dimwit. He offers up a Rainman homage that's laugh out loud hilarious. Also, props to bit player Ken Jeong (Role Models) for his fearless portrayal of the mysterious Mr. Chow. When he makes his big appearance in the film, he will leave an indelible impression. Trust me.

On the flip side, I'm not completely sold on Bradley Cooper. There's nothing particularly likable about him here. Even though his partners in crime spend just as much time lying to their significant others as he does, they do so with a little more affability. Essentially, this is an extension of Cooper's role in last year's sitcom-ish ensemble "He's Just Not That Into You", only in that picture, he exhibited a little more sympathy. When we see Cooper in his domesticated surroundings at the end of this movie, I had a hard time buying into him as a loving father and husband.

I suppose I wanted a little more depth and sweetness from The Hangover. That's what's so appealing about the Judd Apatow productions ("40 Year Old Virgin", "Knocked Up", "Superbad", "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", etc.). There's a near perfect balance of raunch, insightfulness, and charm at the heart of those pictures. On the other hand, there's a lot to be said about a film that simply sets out to make you laugh, and that's really all that Todd Phillips and crew have on their agenda. The Hangover certainly brings the funny, and much of it is of the shocking variety. Thankfully though, the shocking nature of many of the film's biggest gags work more successfully than similar such gags in "Observe and Report". There's a scene involving a trunk that virtually caused me to wet myself, and the stuff with the baby is equally hilarious. Where did Phillips find this kid? Seriously, this baby has some of the cutest facial expressions I've ever seen.

There are moments that don't fair as well however. The Mike Tyson stuff didn't work for me. His introduction–which finds iron Mike doing a smashing rendition of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight"–is very funny but the timing of the scene is much more effective in the coming attraction trailer. Furthermore, Tyson wears out his welcome rather quickly.

Overall though, The Hangover is a pretty funny movie, and perhaps a better title for it would have been "What Happens in Vegas". Sadly, that title was already taken–by a much inferior movie I might add.