ZarkSeven

When you’re vacationing in a town with a 3-screen movie theater, your selection of movies to see with da wifey on a night out on the town is pretty limited.  This week our choices were:  Up which we are seeing with the kids in a few days), Imagine That (which also would be a shame to see without the chillins), and The Hangover.  So off we went to the evening showing of The Hangover.

I see so few movies each year in the theaters that I’d probably never pick a movie in the style of The Hangover over other genres, but I checked out the trailer online before we went, and it looked pretty funny.  So we grabbed some popcorn (Reel Mountain Theater has one of the best concession stands I’ve ever seen – soooo much to choose from) and settled in for some laughs.

The Story

The Hangover is a unique take on the classic bachelor party movie.  Set mostly in Las Vegas, the plot revolves around 4 guys who head off the Las Vegas for one night of “what happens in Vegas, statroyed suite (complete with live tiger) with no memory of what happened, and no idea where the groom-to-be is.

Discovering what they did and what happened to their friend comprises the bulk of the movie.  Groom-to-be Doug is nowhere to be found, and Alan, Stu and Phil try to piece together what happened in order to find Doug and get to the wedding on time.

Along the way they meet Alan’s unexpected new stripper wife and baby, have a run in with some police officers whose car they apparently stole, meet a ticked off Mike Tyson (owner of the aforementioned tiger), and try to deal with a Chinese man named Mr. Chow, who thinks they stole his money, and who may have something they desperately want in return.

Analysis

In many ways this movie is a character study wrapped around a raunchy comedy.  The 4 guys are the main focus of the movie, and their interactions and personalities drive the storyline.  Oddly enough, for a bachelor party movie, the bachelor has the smallest part, as he is missing for a large part of the movie.  Justin Bartha does fine job as Doug, but compared to the rest of the cast, there really isn’t much meat to his role and his character is probably the most forgettable.

Ed Helms plays Alan, the lovable but naive dentist with the overbearing girlfriend.  He plays the typical character that can’t believe what has happened and is happening around him.  He finally accepts it and quit being so uptight and just rolls with it, a la Alan Ruck’s portrayal of Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  Helm’s plays it well, though.

Bradley Cooper plays the good looking, self confident one, who’s married with one kid but is equally comfortable with a night out on the town with the boys.  He plays his character mainly as the straight man to the others.  He’s the only one who seems somewhat suited to the situation, making the cluelessness others all the more hilarious.

Zach Galifianakis plays Phil, the odd soon-to-be brother-in-law of Doug, and he really steals the show.  Phil is one of these people who is odd, but usually doesn’t know it, and so is funny in his sincerity.  You love the character because you can’t wait to see what he comes up with next, from the wolf pack speech to naming the baby Carlos.

Rounding out the movie is a decent supporting cast.  Some characters are memorable.  Other characters seem a bit like a wasted opportunity.  Rachel Harris plays Alan’s bitchy, overbearing fiance Melisssa, and though she’s only in a few scenes, she plays her part to a tee.  I’m not sure why Heather Graham wanted to play the part of the stripper mom Jade.  Seemed like director Todd Phillips and writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore wanted to do more with the character but really couldn’t figure out what.  Mike Tyson’s cameo seemed a little forced as well and not overly funny.  Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow was a little too over-the-top and fell a little flat.

The movie moved along at a brisk pace at the beginning, with laughs coming fast and furious.  The chemistry between the central characters is fun to watch.  The movie bogs down a bit with the introduction of Mr. Chow, and plods towards a rather predictable end.

Conclusion

The movie works for three reasons.  First, it takes the bachelor party movie premise and reverses it.  You find out what happened only afterwards, and not through flashbacks but via the aftermath.  It’s very effective technique that made a tired old movie genre seem fresh.

Second, the characters and chemistry are really strong, and because of it, you really want to find out what happened to them that night.  If you didn’t care, the movie just wouldn’t work.

Lastly, the movie is just plain funny.  There is a crude element to it, and not everything works, but what does work is entertaining.

The script flows well for the most part, and whereas some comedies just seem to flow from joke to joke, this one does so often because it serves the plot, which makes it work well.  If you’re in the mood for a funny, raunchy summer comedy, I’d say to give The Hangover a try.