All bets are off as the comedy hit of the year strikes early for summer

THE HANGOVER
Rated R for pervasive language, sexual content including nudity, and some drug material.
100 minutes
Warner Bros.
**** out of 5

When a screenwriting duo’s previous efforts consist of 2005’s “Rebound” with Martin Lawrence as well as the recent “Four Christmases” and “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” one’s hopes can’t be raised too high. However, when a movie also is tracking so well with advance screenings that a sequel has already been greenlit it makes one start to think that maybe it can be great after all. When you’re a fan of the director it also can help to go in with higher expectations. However, nothing can raise ones expectations to the levels of seeing it a month after release and after the film has already grossed $200+ million at the box office.

No matter what you may think of me for this, I have always been a fan of director Todd Phillips. “Road Trip” was juvenile fun that had its fair share of hilarity scattered throughout even if it was by no means great cinema and obviously aping the “American Pie” popularity of trying to squeeze heart into teen skin flicks. “Old School” was a big step up for Phillips as it showed his ability to bring big performers to another pretty juvenile script but let the talent shine through with the actor’s loveable personas. “Starsky & Hutch” is not a lot of people’s favorite movie and it’s definitely not one of mine. I don’t even own this on video. But I do love Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson and even more so when they’re on screen together. “School for Scoundrels” was honestly not seen by many people and really didn’t get much of a good rap as it happened to star someone by the name of Jon Heder. Yes, “Napoleon Dynamite” himself starring alongside Billy Bob Thornton in a watered down PG-13 remake that I honestly laughed throughout probably more due to the work behind the camera than in front.

“The Hangover” definitely brings Todd Phillips back to his “Old School” roots so-to-speak. He takes a pretty simple premise, hires (this time) not so well-known comedic actors and mines comedic gold scene after scene. Many people are saying it’s “this years ‘Wedding Crashers’” and that is true. But bare in mind that it is not a comparison of quality so much as that it has become another low budget high grossing sleeper hit. “Wedding Crashers” burst onto the scene in 2005 and managed to gross $209 million domestically which is quite a bit for a raunchy R-rated comedy with a heart of gold. That movie had way more “heart” than “The Hangover” but I can already tell which is going to be the higher grosser if it continues its winning streak at the box office as it is the perfect counter-programming Hollywood executives were truly hoping for.

Take a simple premise, a bachelor party in Vegas gone awry, throw in some familiar if not huge name stars (Bradley Cooper (“Wedding Crashers”), Ed Helms (TV’s “The Office”) and Zack Galifianakis (stand-up comic)) and let the hilarity ensue. It helps that the script is so jam packed with some very subtle jokes, broad humor and even some jokes that you don’t even know are jokes until the movie is almost over.

When the boys gather for a night out in Vegas for Doug’s (Justin Bartha) bachelor party they are all in the simple hopes of just having one night to remember forever. What they get instead, thanks to the bride’s brother Alan (Galifianikas), is a night they will never remember but need to in order to find the groom-to-be who has gone missing. Throw in stun guns, a tiger, a baby named Carlos, a gay Asian tycoon, a hooker with a heart of gold and a Genesis swooning Mike Tyson and you have no idea of the fun in store.

As mentioned earlier, advance screenings have already given light to a sequel being put on the fast track. This will either be a great thing or maybe they should just leave well enough alone. Director Todd Phillips also has a sequel to his other huge money maker “Old School” in production as well and maybe it is a sign that things should be as they are. Just because you happen to catch lightning in a bottle once does not mean you have the ability to pull it off again. As a great rule of thumb in Vegas, maybe everyone should quit while they’re ahead? "Do it!"