I decided to skip out on my Up review, but that's not because it was bad. No, it was a great movie, but there's nothing I care to elaborate on. Typical Pixar movie. Best animated film of the year with a nice storyline and jaw-dropping visuals. The dog was the only real funny character in an otherwise great animated drama. Now, on to the opposite type of humor. Crude, hilarious 20-something humor. The Hangover.
I recently discussed what it takes to make the perfect comedy and frankly, this qualifies as a perfect comedy. I laughed from beginning to end and that's rare in a comedy. Just wait until the credits roll and you're really going to crack up. Usually you have to wait 10-15 minutes for the humor to really kick in, but not with The Hangover. What made this movie so funny was also what will force much of its audience to cringe. There's an insane amount of profanity in The Hangover. It gets to a point where even I wondered why they had to throw that pointless f-word in the sentence. But who cares!? Honestly, dialogue just feels/sounds more realistic with useless cussing.



But there's more to this movie than just funny dialogue. Simply put, the plot is great. There really are no plot holes and that's the point. As extreme and out there as the events that unfold get, I never felt the need to roll my eyes. I was skeptical of the Mike Tyson bit when I saw the trailers, thinking he was just a random cameo that served no purpose. No, instead he plays a pivotal role in the evolution of the plot. To be honest, Tyson can kind of act. Every single supporting role and small character was played to perfection. They all stood out with memorable performances and that's saying a lot. Typically, you see four or five passing roles in a comedy, with only one or two actually being funny. The Hangover had at least four good ones.                                            

You have to enjoy a comedy that treats you as if you've got a brain, though. It's nice to see characters that actually LOOK like they have a hangover from hell. The plot actually makes sense, bringing a sort of Dude Where's My Car feeling to the audience. You unfold what happened the night before in real-time, with the main characters, instead of hokey flashbacks and unbelievable antics. I constantly tried to figure it out before them, but when the location of their missing friend was uncovered, even I was surprised. There was only one moment throughout the entire film that I kind of looked away and didn't care much for and it went by quick enough that I just don't care. Also, the soundtrack was lazy and just a combination of hit songs, rather than an original score. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Either way, The Hangover is easily the best comedy out right now, amidst horrible reviews on Will Ferrell's apparent bust (I'll be the judge of that). I would argue The Hangover is a top 5 comedy of the last 5 years. It's a testament to Director Todd Phillips' ability after the obviously amazing Old School. I'm starting to wonder if he's actually the best comedic moviemaker out there right now. Actually, scratch that. Todd Phillips IS the best. Judd Apatow can suck it.

out of 5 tigers