THE HANGOVER (Ray's Early Review)

I have always loved gross-out, physical comedies. Some of my favorites include KINGPIN, DUMB AND DUMBER, and OLD SCHOOL. The most successful films of this type manage to combine tightly-wound comedic situations with warm, interesting characters. THE HANGOVER does this perfectly. It might be the best comedy since OLD SCHOOL, in fact. It might even be better than that. The film stars Justin Bartha as Doug, a thirtyish male preparing to get married. Before the marriage, there must be a bachelor party thrown by his unhappily married best friend Phil (Bradley Cooper), his geeky college buddy Stu (Ed Helms), and his future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis). So the four take off for Las Vegas where they proceed to have one hell of a drunken good time. The film takes a brave turn by skipping over the raucous night in question. Instead, we pick up with the boys the following morning (hence the title) as they follow a series of clues to what happened the previous night. It involves their lost friend Doug, a tiger, a stripper, and Mike Tyson ... among other things. And it is hilarious. The key to the success of the film is the cast. Each actor carves out a specific niche, and the performances blend perfectly. Cooper is excellent as the aging, Matthew McConaughey-type stud, exuding confidence and levity to the wild events around him. Bartha is good, although he has a limited role due to the fact that he's missing for over half the film. Helms steals the movie as Stu, a nerdy dentist preparing to propose to his hot and extremely bitchy girlfriend. Helms plays the broad physical jokes and nuanced character comedy perfectly - he is the McLovin of this film. Galifianakis has a thankless role as the Belushi-styled crazy slob, but he makes his Alan a warm and thoughtful character. Best of all, the four characters feel like they could really be friends at the end of this film. There is a sense of journey and accomplishment within the friend dynamic that seems realistic. We have probably all had a similar group of friends at one point - I did - and it feels very down-to-earth. Going in, I was very skeptical of the storytelling device used here (piecing together a previous night ... drunken bachelor party ...), but the film weaves its jokes together brilliantly. Credit screenwriter Jon Lucas and Scott Moore for keeping the mysteries intriguing and and the sense of discovery alive throughout; the story takes some unexpected turns that kept me guessing. Also credit director Todd Phillips for some crisp and creative direction, which gives the film a sense of depth that many other comedies lack. Although I rarely report on audience reaction during a screening, this one must be an exception. I have literally never experienced a crowd laughing as much as it did throughout this film. Many of the film's little throwaway jokes were lost in the uproarious reactions to the events onscreen. In a word, the audience loved this movie. Films like WEDDING CRASHERS made over $200 million without causing a sustained amount of laughter as this one did effortlessly. Part of that credit goes to the goodwill of the audience for these characters, because it was clear that the audience was rooting for these guys throughout. If my audience is any indication, this film is going to be a huge summer hit. And I must warn you right now - be prepared for a few new catchphrases from this film. One of the breakout minor characters in the film is a little faggy Chinese gangster named Mr. Chow played brilliantly by Ken Jeong. You WILL be hearing a few of his lines replayed ad nauseum for the next year or so. One in particular - "Too-da-loo, mothafuckaaaaaaaaa" - was being repeated by my audience almost immediately. It is a hilarious performance. Unlike many other comedies over the last few years, THE HANGOVER has little emotional downtime. Even big comedic hits like WEDDING CRASHERS had slower "getting to know you" patches designed to build emotional depth, etc. This film manages to do that while on the run, deftly weaving character moments throughout so that the comedy takes center stage. Pound for pound, this is the funniest film in recent memory. It's a gigantic crowd pleaser that will leave comedy fans well satisfied. In a summer of over-processed CGI nonsense, THE HANGOVER is adult comedic fun. GO SEE IT!!