The Hangover [Blu-ray]

The raunch comedy has really progressed over the past few years, thanks in part to directors like Judd Apatow and Todd Phillips. That’s why it’s not incredibly surprising that Phillips’s latest movie, The Hangover is a strong addition to the genre. It’s not just the raunch factor that makes The Hangover work though, but the strong chemistry between three actors playing characters that never should have been left alone together.

Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis make up a diverse group of friends to Justin Bartha’s Doug Billings, a soon to be wedded man who heads to Vegas with his buddies for a crazy bachelor party night. Cooper’s Phil is too cool, a bit of a scoundrel who sees the outing as a chance at an irresponsible festival. Helms’s Stu is a rather stuffy, guy who is clearly whipped by his bitch of a girlfriend, about as diametrically opposite Phil as possible. Finally, way out in left field is Galifianakis’s Alan, who is best described as having something wrong with him - the socially inept, dumb tag-along nobody but Doug would let join in on such an outing.

In many ways, The Hangover reminds me of Stand By Me. You have four characters just as diverse and varied as that film, including the fat kid nobody really wants to have hanging around. In this case, the central character suddenly winds up missing, forcing the other three to co-exist in hopes of finding him. Doug is not only the reason for the bachelor night festivities, but it’s also the peacekeeper of the group - the common link that unites three very different personalities. So, of course, when Doug turns up missing after everyone awakens from a bender that nobody can remember, chaos ensues. The only reason the three guys don’t beat the living crap out of each other or just abandon the party is because, without Doug, the trio has a common goal - finding the missing groom. The road trip story suddenly becomes a retrace and recover plot.

The Hangover heads into the territory of movies like Dude, Where’s My Car and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, putting the guys through ridiculous, absurd events in order to retrace their steps and find their missing friend. Starting on weird ground, with Stu missing a tooth and a tiger in their Vegas suite’s bathroom, the movie manages to get weirder and weirder, including an encounter with heavyweight champion Mike Tyson that is not to be forgotten. It’s a good kind of weirdness though, and laughter flows through the film like money pours through Sin City.

The comedic performances of the movie are some of this year’s best. Bradley Cooper gets to play leading man for a change, and the film benefits greatly from it. Ed Helms gets to step out of the hole The Office has kept him in and instead of the giant suck up he plays a loser who becomes unhinged over the course of the film. I don’t even know where to begin with Galifianakis’s character, who is a few fries short of a happy meal, but is a character completely sold beyond a doubt by the stand-up comedian.

There are many elements of The Hangover’s story that should exceed believability, but Phillips’s storytelling combined with the actors’ dedication to the art of comedy results in a convincing tale. Even in subsequent viewings, when you lose those first-time surprises and you know pieces of the story are so ridiculous they shouldn’t work, the film is a crazy, laugh-inducing ride.

While I know crude, profanity-laden humor isn’t necessarily for everyone, I think Phillips’ is finding a way to make it more and more mainstream. The Hangover is profane and includes more violence and (male) nudity than most people want to see in the average movie. It is also one of the director’s strongest movies, and one of the best comedies in the last decade. Even those who usually avoid Rated-R raunch comedies might want to give this one a try. There’s bound to be some laughter, even for the reserved; a comedy this full of laughs can’t be passed by.

On the Disc:

The Blu-ray release of The Hangover includes both the theatrical version of the movie, as well as an extended, unrated cut that includes eight more minutes of movie. The eight extra minutes aren’t gratuitous nudity or violence like you might expect from the “unrated” tag. Most of them are extended comedic bits or previously cut moments. The added footage is pretty subtle, and even with back-to-back viewings of the uncut and theatrical versions I was hard pressed to find all of the missing material that was added back in.

The highlight of the Blu-ray release is a picture-in-picture commentary from Phillips, Cooper, Helms, and Galifianakis. While I don’t think the video element adds much (my wife, on the other hand, disagrees, enjoying being able to see who is speaking at any given moment), the commentary works for the same reason the movie does - the chemistry between the men as they talk about their film. Phillips has a lot to say about his movie, but when the commentary goes astray it’s surprisingly Cooper who brings things back on track. As an actor, Cooper clearly has an appreciation of what goes into making a movie beyond his own skills, which is a refreshing change from a lot of actors who are all about themselves. Helms adds some good material as well, and it’s almost mandatory I point out that Galifianakis is almost as bizarre as his on-screen character.

The other announced Blu-ray materials include a mash-up of the cursing from the movie and a promo for the movie that features Mike Tyson singing “In the Air Tonight.” Both of these utilize BD-Live technology, which means in order to access either of these features, your Blu-ray player must be able to access the Internet and must have storage capabilities. To me, that’s asking a lot for a couple of short featurettes, but I suppose it does ensure the content remains exclusive.

The biggest disappointment of the release is the biggest hyped element - the new photos from the missing camera. If there are over 100 new images, I couldn’t tell, and most of the pictures just expand on the pictures shown during the film’s end credits. I’m also torn on the controls provided to page through the pictures, which provides no music and just the image framed on the screen with a Hangover title. It’s nice to have control to pay as much attention to each image, but it’s also a little annoying to have such a plain presentation.

Most of the featurettes bring extra laughs, from the deleted ad libbing that makes up “The Madness of Ken Jeong” (who plays the Chinese gangster in the movie), to the interactive “Map of Destruction” that shows how prominent Vegas locations factor into the movie. There’s also a gag reel which is the longest of the extras, providing eight minutes of the cast cracking up at their own antics.

The Hangover is a comedic delight, but I can’t say it’s visually stunning enough to demand the added expense of Blu-ray, especially with some of the exclusive Blu-ray content requiring BD-Live in order to access it. It’s still one of this year’s best movies though, and a fantastic comedy, so it’s certainly worth picking up in some format for your home library.

- Rafe Telsch