The Hangover

I had my choice this weekend of two comedies. Top Comedian Will Farrell in Land of the Lost or his former Old School Director, Todd Phillips with the Hangover. I could have taken the safe bet with the angry man child Will Farrell but I just didn't think Land of the Lost would be very funny. In fact the trailer made me want to punch Will Farrell in the face. However the trailer for The Hangover seemed just like the kind of stupid yet funny flick I was looking for. And now looking at the weekend grosses apparently I and the American public have chosen wisely.Four friends take a trip to Vegas for a Bachelor Party and things go awry. They blank out after their fun and somehow lose the Groom. It's a race against time to find him and get him to the chapel on time.That's pretty much the plot. Simple, yes. Done before, absolutely. But there is something unique about this that I just enjoyed. We don't really get to see much or any of their drunken night of debauchery only the aftermath. Which I thought was a little different than the norm. No superstars here in this film although they may be after the weekend. After fawning after Jennifer Garner in Alias and psycho crazy on Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers. The Coop finally gets his due in a lead role. With great back up from Ed Helms, of the Office and Daily Show, respectively and Zach Galifianakis. Whom, as far as I am concerned came out of nowhere to steal the show. He plays his man-child very similar to Will Farrell but with less yelling and more heart. He plays the lovable loser who probably ate paint chips as a kid. Not to mention the great supporting cast of Mike Tyson who makes batshit crazy look like fun, and Ken Jeong as an uber feminine gangster. You get a hilarious musical number and some great WTF moments with the tiger the chicken and the baby.There isn't a whole lot to complain about the film but if I were to shout out about one particular thing it is that these are almost the same exact characters from Old School. Bradley Cooper's Phil is Vince Vaughn's Bernard, through and through. He is the ultimate swinger who tries to also appear as family man to his wife and kid. Ed Helms' Stu plays the pathetic push-over guy just like Luke Wilson's Mitch. I think that Zack Galifianakis' Alan plays slightly different from Will Farrell's Frank the Tank, but you can still connect the dots. But it's ok Todd we'll forgive you as long as the Hangover 2 is just as funny and absurd as the first one. If you haven't seen this one yet then you certainly should it is by far the best new thing out right now. I heard Pelham 123 blows and I think we all know by now what to think of Land of the Lost.

Grade 4 Buckets