By Christopher Stipp

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THE HANGOVER – Review

A ra-tard.

A ra-tard is perhaps the one word that I have been chewing on like a cow gums cud for weeks after seeing THE HANGOVER. It’s delivered by Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and it’s such a non sequitur, one of many, that you wonder what’s taken so long to get Zach into the mix of modern cinematic comedy; he’s the cosmic little brother of Danny McBride. And it’s Zach who illustrates why THE HANGOVER is the comedy that will keep people coming back for a 2nd or 3rd viewing.

What everyone should know going into this film is that the premise of it is deceptively simple: Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) is going to Vegas to have a bachelor party. Aided by an ethically challenged mischief maker Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), browbeaten and p-whipped whipping boy Stu Price (Ed Helms) and Alan the boys go off to enjoy an evening of frivolity and licentiousness. The brilliance of the comedy really begins after we’ve established who everyone is and are watching these gents offer a toast to one another as they look forward to their last evening with their bachelor friend.

Time fast forwards without you seeing nary a moment more of the evening and you have a scene that is reminiscent of the SIXTEEN CANDLES after-party when we find Farmer Ted trapped in a table. Here, though, that table is shattered, furniture is smoldering, nudity abounds and there’s a tiger in the toilet.

The non-linear storytelling is a unique way to tell the story even if this wasn’t a comedy. It’s a bold decision to make because we don’t know, aren’t told and there are not any convenient flashback sequences to assist in filling in the gaps as we get acquainted with the reasons why their very expensive hotel suite has gone from pristine to thrashed and why Doug is MIA. Now, and of course, we’ll eventually figure out why there’s a big tiger hanging out in their bathroom but Todd Phillips as a director metes out the information in small bites, opening up the ability to have Galifianakis, Cooper and Helms to really explore the comedic possibilities of what did happen last night.

The mix of performers here is what heightens the comedic effect of two comedians doing their thing and one actor who is just reacting to the obnoxiousness of it all. To that point, this is really an ensemble comedy, much like Phillips’ ROAD TRIP where you have a non-comedian in Breckin Meyer who was at the center of the maelstrom that was Seann William Scott and company, and that is spearheaded by Galifianakis and Helms. The former, a celebrated underground comedian who trades in the sharpest forms of subtlety, and the latter, in Helms, who has been a periphery player in another ensemble comedy, The Office. The pair are one/two punches of non-stop quips, parries, offhanded comments and totally wrong behaviors. To wit, Galifianakis’ opening salvo to the puerile funny about to be unleashed on the audience has him taking a baby, who they’ve just happened to find in their hotel room, an using the child’s hand to perform auto erotica. Yeah, it’s not going to be your parents’ STARSKY AND HUTCH.

While these gents try and piece together what exactly happened to their missing groom (his disappearance is one of the better sleight of hands in cinema as of late as you almost think of him as an afterthought while the film progresses) the wackiness that ensues is really the core of the film’s comedy. You have improbable characters popping up left and right, you’ve got a nude man who makes a break for it after climbing on Bradley Cooper like a spider monkey and the number of sub-plots abounds. One of those plots, where Helms finds out he married a Vegas stripper is one of the more heartfelt moments (if this could even be classified as one) throughout the film as Stu really goes far afield for the usual henpecked man who finds the stones to stand up to his domineering significant other but he makes it work to great comedic effect. Bradley Cooper, meanwhile is just the face man throughout this circus; he’s just a willing accomplice to the frivolity and the profane that happens as they track down their missing groom. The real star here in this movie is Galifianakis.

His strange, Asperger inspired behavior is the real treat that you should be watching as he is part enigma, part sideshow. He’s more than willing to go along with the physical humor required of him when the boys make their way to a police station and he’s incredible at not letting on to anything remotely funny that escapes his lips. He makes you work for the comedy, his dry wit translates well to a movie that depends heavily on some of the basest forms of modern comedy (nudity, slapstick, bestiality, et al..) but it’s his perceived innocence that makes him the true darling of this movie. You almost fear for his well being as the boys get into physical altercation after altercation and he knows how to make mental illness funny again. He’s the man you root for. He’s the guy who can deliver a joke about roofies with not so much as a smirk on his face. This movie is the vehicle, I will assert, that captures his comedic essence and, equally assert, it’s a shame that I predict you won’t see it in its natural form on the big screen any time soon.

Ed Helms acquits himself well in this movie as the film’s resident p-whipped weakling but Helms displays the ability to not only display humor in a broad, bombastic way but he’s just as razor sharp if you compare him to Galifianakis. Helms’ most nuanced line comes as the boys come back to their hotel room after a long day of searching for Doug. They are no doubt exhausted and as one of them complains of having a foggy head Galifianakis makes a quick remark to which Helms picks right back up to score one of the best lines in the film.

Cooper, for his part, just plays well with others. He isn’t especially compelling but he is the Moe to the other Stooges on display and, in fact, provides a real weight to the film’s narrative. He brings a level head, a suave tone and simply makes the film nicer to look at. From knowing how to wrangle Galifianakis, to dealing with the police when it’s time to strike a deal Cooper is exactly what this film needs.

This movie couldn’t be any more recommended. It is absolutely the reason to go to the movies if what you need is just a good laugh. It is so out there, so bizzarre, so completely unrealistic that it finally brings Todd Phillips back to where he belongs: in an elevator getting head. His last few films have been weak entries into a career where his only aim should be to figure out how to be incredibly entertaining, fantastically out there while employing the talents of those, and this is key, who know how to be funny. Anything less would warrant having a roofie popped in your Pepsi before going in to see it.

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