"The Hangover"
by: Paolo Sardinas

Every comedy needs three things: witty humor, a clever story line, and well witty humor. Throw in raunchy, vulgar, obnoxious, and gut busting hilarity and you got yourself "The Hangover".

Phil (Bradley Cooper) is the middle school teacher with the wife and kid and the good looks to get any women he wants within seconds of entering the room. Stu (Ed Helms) is the group geek who also has the controlling and bitchy girlfriend (Rachael Harris), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) is the stupid yet funniest member of the group and Doug (Justin Bartha) the groom. The four of them drive from LA down to Vegas in order to spend one last night together before Doug gets married. The movie skips to the morning after their arrival. Their villa is trashed beyond belief, there is a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, the groom is missing, and as if that weren't enough they pretty much have no idea what the hell happened.

The story is just ingenious and the surprises that are unveiled are about as surprising to us as it is to the characters on screen. Although the movie is well written, most of its "funniness" comes from the little surprises all throughout the film.

As the film progresses from one situation to another, the characters become more and more like able. Even though there are mistakes in the movie, most of them are hidden by the audience laughing and being shocked and the kinds of trouble they got them selves into. The biggest scene stealer in the film is Galifianakis. His delivery and timing is unbeatable by any of his co-stars.

In the end, the three amigos finally find their friend and attend the wedding. The movie ends off with them promising to forget what has happened and is followed by a video montage which includes about 40% of the movies overall laughs.

Overall The Hangover is and will be the funniest movie of the summer if not the funniest of the year. It is a movie that is in every way an R rated comedy which truly defines, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." A-