What Happens In Vegas

Went to see the much-awaited film The Hangover tonight. In my mind, there are three comedies that stand well above the rest: Animal House, Anchorman, and There's Something About Mary. Maybe Airplane! is in the discussion, too, though it doesn't really hold up because the gags get so old. The next tier probably begins with Old School. I can't expect any movie to get into that top tier, so the question was: Will The Hangover be as funny as Old School? A fitting question since it was directed by the same person, Todd Phillips.

The thing about Old School is that everyone has seen it a million times, so people quote it all the time. "Earmuffs." "You're my boy, Blue!" And so on. I think I'll have to see the new movie again (and again after that, probably) to see what good quotes there are and what holds up.

You see, though, I'll also have to see it again because I missed half of the dialogue because everyone else and I were laughing over it. The movie is very, very funny. It starts a little slow in the setup -- though it's funnier there than I was led to believe -- and the rest of the movie is non-stop. You've seen the great trailer, but all of the funniest parts aren't in it because they are way too dirty. I'm not going to give any jokes away, period, so you'll have to see it and you should, as soon as you can.

So is The Hangover as funny as Old School? Maybe. I'll say this, something you can't say about any other movie: The Hangover contains the funniest twenty to thirty seconds ever put on film. Ever. Again, I won't say what it is, but you will know immediately when you see it.