The Hangover

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Having previously tickled our funny bones with Old School, Todd Philips directs easily his best film since that uproarious 2002 comedy, and one which should make similarly massive stars out of its fantastic leads. Almost as smart as it is funny, The Hangover takes a well-worn comedy sub-genre (the stag night gone bad) and turns it on its head. Bradley Cooper in particular should see his stock rise significantly, after playing second and third fiddle in various other films and TV shows over the past few years. He looks like a movie star, and The Hangover will ensure that he finally becomes one.

The plot sees three pals and one brother-in-law hit Las Vegas, for a night of booze-fuelled carnage a couple of days before one of them is due to be married. Just as the night kicks off, the film flashes forward to the next morning: the groom is missing, the expensive hotel room is totalled, and a tiger and baby are knocking around, for good measure. With no one able to recall the previous night's shenanigans, our heroes set about searching for their mate before his bride-to-be realises that he's missing. Cue various outrageous scenarios involving a naked crowbar-wielding Chinese man, a stripper with a heart of gold, and Mike Tyson.

Despite sounding wholly unoriginal, it's the approach that Phillips takes to the material, as well as some brilliant lead performances, that really make this film shine. This is a slightly offbeat but very funny comedy - not something that you'd expect from a director who has built a career on making crass, but often amusing, laffers. It's also hard to separate the brilliance of all three leads, as they are all equally likeable, well-rounded characters who take turns bringing the funny. They share pretty much every scene, and play off each other wonderfully - there is no real "straight man". With films of this ilk, you're only as strong as your weakest link, and Helms, Cooper and Galifianakis have genuine chemistry. Bartha and Graham have a lot less to work with - particularly Graham - but he doesn't really get a chance to stretch those comedy chops, either.

What The Hangover will do is make you laugh, though, and possibly harder than any other comedy has done in some time. It's that rare type of film that will appeal a wider group than its target market, and should find a huge audience, thanks to positive word-of-mouth. Expect this to be the sleeper hit of the year.