Genuinely Funny

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2009)

It's always great when you can share a movie experience with an entire theater of strangers. When an entire crowd can burst out in a unison of laughter, all the while making you appreciate each gag for its originality and authenticity. "The Hangover" is one of those rare movies where the audience becomes an extension of the group of buddies with which you went to see the movie. Not to mention, it's f**king hilarious. The unity with strangers aside, this movie is wholly satisfying as a comedy. Biased though I am (a Zach Galifianakis fan for years now), I enjoyed this film for everything it is: a gut-buster, brimming with laughs not only farcical in its whimsy, but deep-rooted in the stellar casts' interplay. Galifianakis is brilliant as the somewhat-disturbed third wheel thrust upon the bachelor party, almost all of his lines memorable and quotable. Cooper is spot-on as the dis-likable man-boy, ultimately redeemed through his belief in friendship and a renewed relationship with his wife. Helms somewhat continues his role from the office, an overly preppy suburbanite with a wild side (not to mention, wholly committed to the wrong woman), and uniquely hilarious nonetheless. So here's the kicker: I'm a film graduate, raised on uppity purebred master cinema, praising the work of the "lowest" form of entertainment: comedy. This movie was thoroughly entertaining, engrossing, and above all, absolutely hysterical. Shouldn't my reason for purchasing a ticket to be entertained? Isn't that what this movie did? Did it not unify a roomful of complete strangers with its unabashed hilarity? What then, is so wrong about this relationship?