MOVIE: The Hangover (15)

Thanks to the Judd Apatow stable, risqué comedy has become a genre all its own. Whilst this latest offering is not connected with the comedy guru, it is directed by a man who thinks along similar lines - Todd Phillips (director of Old School, Starsky & Hutch, and School of Scoundrels).

The film follows three friends - the reckless Phil (Bradley Cooper), the henpecked Stu (Ed Helms) and the, er, ‘eccentric’ Alan (Zach Galifianakis)- who all wake up in Vegas with no memory of the previous night’s stag party, no idea how their suite was trashed and absolutely no idea where the groom (Justin Bartha) is! The oddly-matched trio must now crawl through Sin City in search of their friend, encountering the police, a stripper (Heather Graham) and a singing Mike Tyson along the way.

Anyone watching the trailer will think they know what’s coming. Indeed, most of the advertisements make this look like a cross between Old School and Dude Where’s My Car? (Dude Where’s My Groom?). Surprisingly, the reality is it’s a very well thought-out, superbly executed comedy with as much intelligence as it has humour. The characters are extremely well drawn out, with a little twist to make them interesting. For example, Stu’s domineering wife isn’t just annoying, she's a foul-mouthed aggressive monster! Likewise, Phil is the groom’s wild best friend, but also inexplicably has a picture perfect wife and kids. Their adventures may be a little too rude for some members of the audience (particularly the credits!) but the majority will be in hysterics.

Having played marginal roles in Yes Man, The Rocker and Wedding Crashers it’s good to see Cooper get a starring role. As the hapless and reluctant leader of the madcap troupe, he clashes well with the stressed out Helms at the beginning and gels very well with the group, to the extent where they come across as quite genuine friends by the end of the film. Galifianakis delivers a madcap performance that, to be honest, has to be seen to be believed. You may see a little more of him than you’d like but his deadpanning is hilarious.

You could dismiss this as too low-brow, and Heather Graham’s performance is more for show than for depth, but this is a great comedy that exceeds all expectations. Keep your mind in the gutter, and you’ll be laughing for days.