The Hangover: Three men, a tiger, and a baby

June 8, 3:45 PMPortland Movie ExaminerIan Sawyer

Previous

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Portland Movie Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Vegas, Baby!!

Having been married in Las Vegas (not by Elvis), I have an at once familiar, yet distant, magical affinity for Sin City. Even before ever setting foot on the strip, I had always felt like Vegas could be my favorite place on earth. So many great (Leaving Las Vegas, Casino, Go) and not-so-great (Showgirls, Honeymoon in Vegas, Very Bad Things) movies have made me feel so at home in Vegas that it was inevitable that I’d find my heart, soul, and marriage license in the Nevada desert. So, when I saw the trailer for The Hangover, I bet the house that I’d be seeing it opening weekend.

A nearly flawless comedy by Road Trip and Old School director, Todd Phillips, The Hangover knowingly embraces the clichés of Vegas movies, from the drive from L.A. (Swingers) to the need to take the casino for quick cash (Rain Man, 21), without falling prey to them. Briskly paced, the laughs come as fast and furious as the ridiculous scenarios that inspire them. Superb casting makes what would have been an amusing jaunt through the city of lost wages an experience so fun and enjoyable that you actually miss the characters long after the uproarious end-credits montage fades out.

Four (perhaps unlikely) buddies descend upon Vegas for a weekend bachelor party that goes awry. Sure, this is a ‘been there, done that’ sort of plot device that ordinarily would yield yawns and “whatever”s. But it’s the characters themselves that elevate The Hangover above the average Vegas buddy movie. As the ring leader, school teacher Phil (Bradley Cooper) does his damnedest to make the best Vegas clichés come true as his cohorts could give or take any hijinx that may ensue. Dentist Stu (Ed Helms of NBC’s “The Office”) is just happy to get away from his ball-busting girlfriend, and groom-to-be Doug (Justin Bartha) obviously wants to make it back for the wedding in one piece. Yes, these characters, on paper, are as typical as the whole Vegas/bachelor party thing itself. But The Hangover’s successful distinction pivots on the party’s fourth character: the oddly adorable and arguably mentally challenged brother-in-law-to-be, Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Galifianakis is a hysterical surprise that melds the straight-man subtleties of John Belushi with the physical extremes of Jack Black. In one of the best comedic roles in recent memory, Galifianakis will surely reap numerous casting-call benefits from this spot-on breakout performance.

Of course, in a Vegas/road trip/things-fall-apart movie like The Hangover, the characters need an unending supply of comedic circumstances to drive the plot. As a male-centric-buffoonery master, director Phillips has honed his craft and is deftly assure of what’s funny, and, lucky for us, he knows how to shoot funny. At the heart of The Hangover are four grown, successful (for the most part) men who embrace the Disneyland-for-adults mentality that Vegas provides. In the end, the movie isn’t about growing up—it’s about lightening up. And very few comedies can actually pull this off with grace and…well, I wouldn’t say ‘dignity;’ the movie is about hangovers from hell, after all. But, when a Vegas buddy movie actually makes the audience feel like one of the guys, you double down and see it again. Next time I’ll be sure to bring my own hair-of-the-dog, if you know what I mean.