"The Hangover" Sustains Greatness

Rating: 10/10 (11 June 2009)

In the opening of "The Hangover", in the middle of the Mohave Desert, Bradley Cooper's haggard Phil calls Doug's fiancée Tracy (Sasha Barrese) to inform her that they have "lost" Doug (Justin Bartha). Distressed Tracy reminds Phil that they are getting married in 5 hours. Phil replies, "Yeah that's not going to happen." Director Todd Phillips's "The Hangover" is the funniest movie of the year. And the story by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore is brilliantly hysterical.
The premise is outrageous. In a Las Vegas bachelor party completely gone awry, a group of buddies wake up the next morning to discover their Caesar's Palace suite demolished, with a tiger in the bathroom, a baby, but missing the groom Doug (Bartha). Phil (Cooper) has sore ribs and a hospital wristband. Dentist Stu (funny Ed Helms from "The Office") is bloodied and missing a tooth. Tracy's brother Alan (wacked out Zach Galifanakis) is sans pants. All three have no clue what happened in the previous 10 hours, when they lost Doug. The last thing they basically remember is making a toast with Alan's Jaeger Meister. Phil, Stu, and Alan must pool their damaged resources and return Doug for his wedding back in Los Angeles.
The defining moment of "The Hangover" comes when the crew watches a surveillance video with Mike Tyson at his home. Mike asks, "You guys stole a police car?" Stu sheepishly cops to this. Mike high fives saying, "Nice!" Later after watching the entire debacle on tape, Phil apologizes to Tyson. Mike says, "We do dumb sh**, when we're f***ed up." That pretty much sums up Todd Phillips's "The Hangover". It is a hysterical ride, and ultimately all plausible. Make sure to stay through the credits of the movie. Bradley Cooper as ring leader Phil is going to be a star. He is tall, handsome, and has great comedic timing. Cooper also is the surprising solid one, who literally rolls with the punches. Ed Helms is the brilliantly unglued Stu, who is about marry his bitch girl friend Melissa (taut and scary Rachael Harris). Zach Galifianakis is initially warped creepy as Alan. He points out to Doug when they pick up teacher Phil that he can't be within 200 feet of a school or a Chuck E Cheese. Galifianakis effectively morphs into a lovable loner. Justin Bartha nails the straight man Doug. He is so comfortable being with funny, which is not easy.
While blitzed out his mind Stu marries big hearted stripper/ escort Jade (stunning and hysterical Heather Graham). Graham is amazing and beautifully lends "The Hangover" its deceptive charm. With all the high jinx including being attacked by a naked Chinese mobster Mr. Chow (funny Ken Jeong) wielding a crow bar or being stun-gunned by kids in the police station demonstration, "The Hangover" is all fun and never mean spirited. Writers Lucas and Moore craft a hilarious tale that is strangely plausible, and really about heart-felt friendship. Granted there are more hysterical moments that should not be missed. What I really appreciated about "The Hangover" is its spirit and sense of fun. "The Hangover" is one the funniest movies around.