Todd Phillips directed this film. He also directed Old School. Other than having Phillips at the helm, these two comedies both have something else in common. They are not nearly as funny as people want them to be.

Like Old School, this film begins with a promising hook, a mismatched group of men (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha) go to Vegas in place of a regular bachelor party for their friend who is about to tie the knot (Bartha). The men begin the evening, excited and ready for fun. The next time we see them, they are waking up in their expensive suite, partially clothed and the bachelor is missing. The film follows the remaining three as they unravel the wild events of the previous evening.

Like Old School, there is enough for the actors to work with that they can squeeze some good laughs out of the scenes. There is enough humor to make the production better than the average comedy, which really isn't saying too much.

Like Old School the film runs out of fuel after the mid-point and goes off course as it tries to tie all of the character arcs together.

Like Old School, the film should have been much funnier and more clever than it ending up being. A stronger direction would have helped, as well as a tighter script.

Like Old School, the cast will be the big winners. Old School introduced Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell to audiences who may have otherwise not have known them. People knew Ferrell thanks to SNL but his cross-over to film hadn't taken off yet. Wilson and Vaughn were known, but not to wide audiences. This film will probably have a similar effect for Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms, both of whom offer strong performances. Zach Galifianakis also gives a notable comedic performance as Alan, a dumpy, odd man-child. Galigianaialogisiaiskilansig...kis is the most memorable part of this film, other than Mike Tyson singing. It is possible this film will be his introduction to larger roles.

Like Old School, people will claim this film to be far superior than it truly is, which means it will be very successful on DVD. Expect the sequel in a couple more years.

Do I recommend the film? Nope. I'm not about to pretend it is better than it is simply because I wanted to like it. Again, the second half slides off into a muddled collection of scenes. Additionally, the central push of the plot, where is the groom, loses all of its steam. If you liked Old School, you will probably find much here you will enjoy.





Related Reviews:
Other Comedies
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Groundhog Day (1993)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
The Independent Critic
DarkMatters

Labels: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, film, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Mike Epps, movie review, Zach Galifianakis