The Hangover leaves viewers fuzzy

Many of us have woken up wondering exactly what happened the night before. What director Todd Phillips’ new film The Hangover asks is “How could we have possibly done all of that without remembering any of it?”

The answer to that question is the driving force of The Hangover, when three friends wake up from a wild night only to find they are a trio, instead of their original quartet. The missing member, Doug, is due to be married the next day, adding some urgency to his friends’ search.

What really sets The Hangover apart from other comedies is its ability to both disgust and delight, in ways the audience wouldn’t wholeheartedly expect. For example, pairing Alan (Zach Galifianakis) with a newly discovered baby a few scenes after its been disclosed that Alan is not allowed within 200-feet of the local middle school – this is the kind of perversion the filmmakers hope audiences will pay to see. Actually, Alan and the baby get along pretty well through their journeys, showing he’s more a misunderstood man-boy who doesn’t know how to act properly (giving some sort of justification for the absurdity of his ways).

The Hangover is two parts comedy, one part mystery. As many would put it, “it’s not the destination, but the journey that is most important.” In this film’s case, the driving force to each proceeding scene is not whether or not they’ll find Doug, but instead what hilarious clue will be unveiled next.

A bulk of the film takes place in Las Vegas, which takes some of the unbelievable events of the film and makes them slightly more realistic simply because it happened during a bender in Vegas.

The supporting cast is spectacular. Ed Helms (Stu) plays a hilarious dentist who always introduces himself as a doctor. Usually known as Andy Bernard from The Office, Helms makes palpable his dentist-desire to be taken seriously as a medical practitioner.

“You’re not a doctor,” his friends say, “You’re a f***ing dentist!”

Bradley Cooper (Phil) plays a convincing con man turned schoolteacher. This dichotomy makes for interesting scenes where Phil must make a split- second decision to schmooze or connive. There is little difference with the outcome, as all result in someone getting hurt.

A somewhat surprising bit-part played by Heather Graham attempts to introduce a romantic subplot to The Hangover, but this lacks in the long run, leaving little to no serious advancement to the story.

Oh, the violence. There are a few scenes where it comes out of nowhere, such as a scene where all the boys are toasting shots of Jaegermeister on the roof of their hotel, when Alan cuts his hand open in a failed attempt at a blood brothers bond with the rest of his newfound crew. Some scenes, such as the one where the three are driving with an unconscious tiger in the backseat of their car, leave the audience wondering when the violence will ensue.

A [semi] predictable storyline mixed with comedic drama, The Hangover leaves everyone feeling a bit fuzzy afterward.