Three men and a memory loss

Two interesting notes about the new comedy, “The Hangover.” The first is that the French have decided the name doesn’t do it justice. The posters there bill the movie as “Very Bad Trip.”

There are two funny things about this poster. One is that the title “Very Bad Trip” is spelled out in English while the rest of the poster is in French. The second thing is that “Hangover” is printed below the title small and in parentheses. I guess this is in case American tourists visiting there while the film is playing can have English subtitles on an English title. You can’t be too careful when traveling in a foreign land.

No matter what countries it plays in, the plot is familiar. My guess is you’ve either seen movies about all-night benders or have gone through the process yourself. The filmmakers must have known there wouldn’t be too much new in a plot like that, so they went for funny instead. They succeeded. This is genuinely funny. Director Todd Phillips takes a common situation to the extreme with actors who know how to play it straight. Even Zach Galifianakis is so believable as a clueless oddball, it’s like he wants to be funny but isn’t trying hard to be. It just happens.

Four friends take a weekend trip to Las Vegas to throw one of them (Justin Bartha) his bachelor party. The next morning they wake up on the floor with no memory of the entire night and no clue to the whereabouts of the now-missing groom.

The fellows (Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms) go on a city-wide search to find out what happened during the night, which they hope will lead them to their friend. The rest of the movie is a journey of discovery for the three remaining buds. They learn about love, such as one of them is now married to a stripper. They learn about pain, particularly via repeated beatings. They even discover things about themselves, e.g., missing teeth, hospital bracelets, you get the idea.

On paper, the story sounds like an R-rated cross between the Three Stooges and “Dude, Where’s My Car?” This is exactly the sort of movie you’d expect from Phillips, who has made his career on juvenile yet often hilarious situations. Even his film “Old School” was intended as lowbrow so audiences a decade younger than the actors could enjoy it. “The Hangover” is different. It’s lowbrow, all right, and does a darn good job of it. At the same time, it’s as much for adults as anyone else. These guys are o real, so relatable and they genuinely care about each other as friends. It’s touching that way. But don’t worry, that won’t interfere with constant high jinks that, like I said, are funny through and through. It’s also nice to see three actors not used to headlining a movie carry the whole thing so flawlessly.

Before I forget, there’s the second point I wanted to bring up. The movie definitely saves the best joke for last. That’s not just my opinion. It was the only time I’ve been in a crowded theater and not one person left when the credits rolled.

As for the French poster, apparently those audiences like the film. Maybe they just think we’re just not smart enough to name our own movies. I don’t know what could have given them that impression.