The Hangover Review

 

        It’s been interesting on how much comedies have evolved within a 50-year span. I know for a fact that comedy is subjective, but these movies have proven to be gamechangers for all audiences and cinema in general. I think what makes it work is that it has to be timeless and deliver on all the jokes. So I’ll wrap it up with what I think of The Hangover. 

1. Three Friends in Search of Their Friend 

        For a while, this was the highest grossing R-rated movie at the time. And I remember the impact this film had because everyone was talking about it. A true mark of success for a film is that it can be quotable in any situation. With that, we follow four friends take a trip to Las Vegas. They plan to celebrate their friend’s last day being single. 

        The following day, they piece together what happened. Hence the title of the movie. The biggest thing that is mostly overlooked in this film is that we never get to see what went down in Vegas. Mind you, we do see photos in the credits of just the utter debauchery the guys do. That isn’t the point, since we immediately cut to the hotel room just destroyed with a chicken roaming around. And that's not all, since everything they encounter is a tiger, Vegas metro police, and a stripper. 

        All the guys have different personalities that suit with how the situation changes. With Phil being the leader and just having that dude bro attitude. Stu being a bit nerdy and classy. Alan, well he’s Alan. We don’t really get to know Doug since he’s only in the movie for a few minutes. And I get that he doesn’t have much, but the payoff on where he is, is just classic. 

        The comedy is reminiscent of The Three Stooges. Now, for the young ones who don’t know who they are, Google it. Like the film I think is sort of like a throwback of the classic comedies. Right down to Alan not swearing as explicitly as his friends. I think that it works in this way, since the comedy is played almost like a detective story. With moments that seem outrageous until the next thing that throws the whole trio into a frenzy.

2. Las Vegas

        This film probably added more to the whole mystique that is Sin City. Like the comedy is set up perfectly by keeping with one of the famous sayings about the city. It would be easy to just have the whole action take place in the town and not do anything that the city is known for. What the film does so well is that it utilizes the city in every situation. 

        Now of course it must use the casino as a crucial plot point. For instance, the guys must get a specific amount of money to the gangster Chow. Alan volunteers to gamble and get the money. It’s one of the best scenes since Alan gets vindicated from being an idiot to genius with beating the Casino house. 

        And of course, they have to bring up the gangsters tie with the city. I mean, you can’t make a movie that takes place in Vegas and not bring up any gangsters. Right down to the obvious reference of Martin Scorsese’s Casino with the sunglasses seeing the trail of dust from the car. Ken Jeong also steals the show when he talks. Obviously, it’s an exaggerated voice, but the stuff he says is downright hilarious. 

3. The Sequels 

        It wasn’t a surprise that Warner Bros. immediately wanted a sequel to cash in on the first film’s success. And no surprise, it falls into the various traps of a sequel by doing it again. This time in Bangkok of all places, but it’s the same thing. Yeah, it was hilarious, but time has proven costly since it tries to be even raunchier than the first one. 

        I haven’t even seen the third one of the trilogy, and for good reason. There’s not even a hangover, but other stuff that has direct ties to the first movie. It was from there where I kind of questioned why exactly Todd Philips wanted to explore the films further. The first one works as just its own movie. Having the sequels be the same thing and completely divergent on the whole idea makes no sense to me. 

        But there are good things that came out of it. Zach Galfinakis immediately gained that status as being the new funny guy. I’ve seen him pop up in some hits like The Campaign and in the FX show Baskets. Ken Jeong was even involved with the NBC show Community that further made him into a household name. 

4. Overall

        The Hangover is the one of the best comedies to close out the 2000s. There isn’t anything that I could add than I wouldn’t want to go to Vegas with any of the characters. 

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Review

 

        To wrap up my months long look into comedy, let’s look at two films that defined the 2000s. It’s no surprise that I included a Will Ferrell comedy. He got his start in Saturday Night Live, just like most stars who I’ve spotlighted with their films within the month. Some people consider his first real hit is Elf, who I talked about if you want to check out what I think, be my guest. I will maintain that Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy put him on the pedestal as Hollywood’s main funny guy. 

1. The Legend Himself

        Obviously Will Ferrell steals the show as the mustachioed news anchor Ron Burgundy. We follow him as well as his co-anchors: Champ, Brian, and the loveable dimwitted Brick, anchor the news for San Diego. When the network hire a new talent Veronica, Ron and the others feel emasculated and threatened, but soon Burgundy starts to fall for her. 

        What I like about the movie is that it feels that it’s supposed to mock the idea of masculinity in a male dominated space. We have these four guys who are probably the personification of male masculinity, although Brick is an enigma. Regardless, we see just how they are either in the studio or when they hang out with Ron. Which explains why Burgundy is the anchor that is most adored throughout San Diego. 

        More so that Ron changes as the movie progresses. As I mentioned earlier, he starts to have feelings for Veronica. Which alienates his co-anchors since they now see him as a pansy than a burly guy that they admire. I think it’s intentional since we see someone slowly change to a humble person. Now, they do fight when Ron has his job taken away. You can interpret it as his pride being taken since he’s second fiddle. 

        Regardless, his character is hilarious with anything he says. He’s very verbose with what he says, sometimes he’ll utter something that is straight from a comic book. With everything being hilarious and played straight, it seemed fitting that both the director and Ferrell wrote the screenplay. Like there’s never a dull moment in the movie where the jokes don’t land or there’s a moment of awkward silence. 

2. Adam McKay

        For a debut film, McKay did a spectacular job given the comedic talent that he had. There’s never a dull moment or character who’s wasted for a busted punchline. The thing that is commendable is how just how unique the comedy is. I think McKay is a combination of Mel Brooks and the Z.A.Z. trio, it’s a bit much since those entities defined their respective decades with laughs. 

        Here though, McKay has everything played straight with moments of absolute absurdity. For example, when Ron and Veronica start to make out. We see them both in a cartoon fantasy realm with implications of them doing exactly of what you think they’re doing. Another favorite is when the Channel 5 team has a stand-off with the other channels. It’s just laughable when we see the other anchors get their arm chopped off, immolated, and stabbed by a trident.

        And that’s the brilliant thing in the movie, there’s no explanation as to the how and why the confrontation escalates to a ridiculous scale. Sure, it gets mentioned in the immediate scene but the film chugs along like nothing happens. That’s when you know that the film is in good hands with a director who understands comedy and having an actor really nailing the hilarious bits. 

3. Overall 

        This movie is fun. Both Ferrell and McKay continued their team up with three more hilarious films. Anchorman is one of the best comedy films of the 2000s. 

Friday Review

 

        The 90s presented an influx of new talent in terms of filmmaking. As I mentioned before with the Clerks review, there was a rise of independent films coming out that ushered in new directors. In between that, there were new African American directors that were spotlighting a new type of movies called Hood Films. I’ll talk about that later in the review. For now, here’s what I think about Friday. 

1. Craig

        Since the whole plot revolves on one day, we mostly focus on life in a South Central LA neighborhood. Specifically on a guy named Craig, who got let go from his job. We see him hanging out with his friend Smokey. Inevitably, we see them cross paths with the neighborhood bully Deebo. Making matters worse, Craig is roped into owing money to a drug lord. The whole neighborhood has a collection of characters, which I think is intentional since director F. Gary Gray didn’t want to portray the neighborhood as scummy. 

        What I like about Craig is that he’s probably the only normal guy throughout the whole neighborhood. He isn’t involved in anything illicit but is surrounded with a whole lot of colorful characters.  Like with his friend who peddles drug, and a former coworker who had his bike stolen. Nothing is ever normal as it’s just another day in the neighborhood. Craig is just a nice guy who lives with his stable family. Well, he does smoke a joint which prompts him to trip on his high.

        The one thing that has him down is that he can’t defend himself. Like, he can’t stand up for himself when Deebo swings by and intimidates him and his friend. There is one scene where it’s endearing, and it involves his dad. Craig goes for his gun and his dad stops him. Telling him to use his fists, since it’s established that Craig’s father used to be a boxer. And it’s brought up again near the end of the movie in the final fight. 

2. Hood Films

        I have briefly touched on Hood Films when I talked about the 80s classic Stand and Deliver. For those who don’t know, Hood Films are mostly movies focusing on the life of African Americans or other ethnic Americans in crime ridden or poor neighborhoods. There were films back in the 60s through the 80s that took place in that specific area, but they weren’t for a while classified as Hood Films. Since some films that had a mostly black cast and crew were which was classified as Blaxploitation or Mexploitation films. 

        It really exploded in the late 80s and the 90s with directors such as John Singleton, F. Gary Gray, and Spike Lee who made films that has an authentic look. It can be interpreted that it was branching off from the level of exploitation and pivoting to have some insight or social commentary. Films like Boyz' n the Hood, Do the Right Thing, and Menace II Society presented the harsh reality of the environment, while not dour but still keeping the reality of the situation in check. 

        What makes Friday unique is that it’s authentic and hilarious. We see how the comedy works when Craig or Smokey encounters anything that isn’t normal or just through casual talk. The synergy between them makes the film a classic in that it can’t be just listed as a hood, stoner, or buddy comedy. I think in one way the film can be a parody since it shows everything in a heightened way with the characters. But it’s probably true since it’s partially based on Ice Cube’s exploits in his youth.   

3. Legacy

        The film was a hit when it came out, and it became a classic in my generation. Especially with the phrase “Bye, Felicia” being part of our lexicon to dismiss anyone or a specific woman named Felicia. Even that, there’s a football player named after Deebo who has the villain’s music play when the 49ers are about to use him in a trick play. 

        It’s such a shame that the sequels couldn’t possibly live up to the first film’s success. The main problem is that both are missing Chris Tucker. He already made a name of himself in Hollywood and became a Christian when he decided to not do the role that got him famous. And it’s not the same when Craig is talking with someone, but lacks the same chemistry when Smokey is with him. 

4. Overall 

        Friday is a product of the time, or it’s timeless. It’s a hilarious movie that doesn’t shy away what goes on in a regular Friday. 

Clerks Review

        We’re in the 90s now. It was a special time in cinema for new up and coming filmmakers. Directors like Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith to name a few, brought with them new films that were nothing like what the established studio were pumping out. This period is referred to as the Indie Film movement. And I think it’s appropriate to look into Smith’s debut film Clerks as the representation of an indie comedy. 

1. Couple of Slackers

        My first exposure to Kevin Smith’s Clerks was in two separate occasions. One was when MTV was airing the sequel Clerks 2 that I watched with my cousin, and I was so lost with what was happening. The other was when Cartoon Network's late night block Adult Swim was airing reruns of the short-lived Clerks: The Animated Series. Long story short, that series lasted just six episodes. 

        The film is straightforward if you can get pass the production company logo. Dante Hicks is a clerk for the convenient store Quick Stop Groceries. Next door is a second-rate Video Store that his friend Randal Graves manages. Throughout the film, Dante puts up with his friend’s antics, customers, and constantly complaining that he wasn’t supposed to work.

        Describing both Dante and Randal is easy since they are total opposites. Hicks tries to be professional when running the store and is easily annoyed when one specific customer interrupts to sway a smoker to chew a gum. He doesn’t have the authority or the gumption to really speak out on any unruly customer, but lets the chaos happen. Randal could care less about his job. Like I feel that Dante gets into a lot of drama with his girlfriend and past fling. Due in part that he feels insecure with where he's at. 

        I think what makes the pairing work is that we get to see and through the dialogue, just how they handle their jobs and put up with the customers. How I interpret it is that Dante would want to be like Randal and just be not as carefree but to have the gumption to stand up for himself. For instance, we see that Dante is looking at the video store for his friend. All the while, Randal is lost in a maze of VHS tapes in a superior video store. 

        What I find interesting is that the supporting cast is on par, albeit for having a small screen presence. Most of them are friends of the two or a significant other. I think the angle that Smith was going for was just how well off the friends and rejects are in comparison to Dante and Randal. Some are attending college, while the comedic duo Jay and Silent Bob are loitering in front of the store messing with the duo and just goofing off. 

        One could interpret the film as a Dante’s Inferno allegory, with its use of title cards and just how the day seems to be more of an inconvenience to Dante. While I’m not making a stretch since the main character is named after the Italian poet, I feel that the film is interpreted to be that way. Like how they both interact to the various customers and try to get closure on various people of their past. 

2. Kevin Smith

        I feel that for a debut film, Smith did a good job of showing just how much working at a convenience store must’ve suck. The film is partially based on his personal life, like how Dante is the stand in for him. While Randal is the stand in for his friend Bryan Johnson, we can assume that the director and his friend really must’ve seen a motley crew of customers and Smith just putting up with his friend’s crap all day.

        Doing some research, his film I think is a tribute to one of his favorite film to get him to direct. Richard Linklater’s Slacker is one of those films where the dialogue and just loose storytelling is one of Clerks’ inspiration to be made. And I think that when he watched the film, Smith made the dialogue between Dante and Randal interesting, since it would be boring to watch the two of them just work in a convenient store. Like their conversations is what makes their day faster and how close their bond is. Just talking about something redundant like Death Star contractors is hilarious and so thought provoking. 

3. Legacy

        To say that the influx of independent films had an influence in Hollywood is never really brought up when looking at the history of American movies. Miramax was the only distributor for Smith and Tarantino movies. And it helped that Miramax had partnered with Disney since they had a blank check in marketing and Harvey Weinstein, stay with me here, knew how to market a movie. 

        It prompted other studios like 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and Warner Bros. to start their own independent studios under their respective umbrella. The only real successful one I can think of is Fox Searchlight, due in part of just how much their films are occasional award winners. Anyways, back to what I was originally talking about. 

        The success of Clerks propelled Smith to be the new director with a voice at that time. He immediately made films and a sequel that was interconnected. Dubbed the View-Askew Universe, since the side characters like Jay and Silent Bob would pop up in other Smith films like Chasing Amy and Dogma to name a few. Later on, he would move into owning a comic bookstore, and creating the reality show Comic Book Men, which is more or less a Clerks-esque show but in his comic book store. 

4. Overall

        I enjoyed Clerks for what it is. It may be a turn off since it’s shot in black and white, but the dialogue makes the film a classic. And it’s relatable since any day at work is a day that you’re not supposed to be working. 

Beverly Hills Cop Review

 

        During the 80s, Eddie Murphy was slowly becoming the next big comedian. He appeared as a supporting character in the films that he was attached such as Trading Places and 48 Hours. Beverly Hills Cop is the one to finally give him the top billing. What’s interesting is that Sylvester Stallone was originally supposed to be the main character. Anyways, the film is considered a buddy cop and comedic classic. Here’s what I think. 

1. Axel Foley

        My first exposure to the main character didn’t involve Murphy. For some reason in the early 2000s, some DJ made a remix of the music that plays in the film. It was then attached to a music video of an animated frog. Then, and knowing me that I watched a lot of Family Guy, it was referenced in an episode. Anyways, we see Foley as an undercover cop in Detroit. His friend Mikey gets murdered by drug dealers from his past. Axel then travels to Los Angeles, on the notion that it’s a vacation. In reality, he’s investigating who killed his friend.

        We get to see just how Axel is when he’s a cop. Since he’s undercover, he manages to be convincing when talking to the drug smugglers. You could say he goes above and beyond with trying to nab the thugs. and speaking about that it’s mentioned that he wasn’t always a cop. So, one could assume that he’s good with what he does, but at a price since we see that his coworkers assume he’s a criminal.

        What I find interesting is that he applies the same personality switch when he goes to Beverly Hills. I like the glamour shots of the affluent shops and of the folk. Obviously, it’s supposed to be the opposite of Detroit. Showing how different financially and socially well off they are. In one way, the film is sort of like a fish out of water story since Axel uses his methods to get an expensive suite without paying for it. 

        When he meets the LAPD is where the comedy starts. Lieutenant Andrew and Seargent John try to rein some sort of authority to Axel. As always, he manages to be one step ahead of them. We see them as usual wet blankets. I think the charm that Foley has manages to change them to be not as loose as him, but to be more friendly. 

2. Use of Cops 

        I find it interesting just how the police departments from both LA and Detroit are shown. In the start, it looks like a very basic antiquated office. Right down to the locker room, in the moment where Axel’s boss chastises him for his actions. Then we see the LAPD, talk about a huge shift. The CIA has a run for its money since the offices look completely sterile and new. 

        Anyways, we see just how the use of police are shown throughout the movie. Obviously, Axel is the butt of the joke when he gets arrested when he tries to interrogate his friend’s killer. It’s a funny moment since the cops arrest Foley for disturbing the peace. When he has window shards under him and attempting to explain that he was thrown out.

        With the two cops that follow Foley around the Hills, we see just how much they don’t trust him. Slowly they start to go along with his quest to find his friend’s killer. It pretty much adheres to the buddy cop dynamic that is imbued with this film. Like how Foley messes with the two cops that follow him and rope them to his personal investigation. 

3. Legacy

        When it came out, it was an immediate hit. As I mentioned earlier, Eddie Murphy was huge at that time. And having him in his own movie elevated that status further. It was the highest grossing film domestically at that time. Since it was a hit, sequels were made years later. Unfortunately, they weren’t as good as the first movie. While they made money, the reception among the sequels fell. What’s odd is that years later, in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Tom Hardy’s character wears Foley’s jacket as an homage to him. 

4. Overall

        If you ever want to do a marathon of buddy cop films. Beverly Hills Cop is the one to include. 

Airplane! Review

 

        We’re in the 80s now and I feel that Airplane! is probably the best comedy to kick off the new decade. It’s mostly a parody film that makes fun of the disaster films such as Zero Hour. Specifically, films about airline disasters that I’m assuming were ubiquitous at that time. Even if you didn’t know that tidbit, the film still manages to pull of being a comedy.

1. Flight to Parody

        From the start, the film starts with a Jaws reference. We follow Ted Striker, a former Air Force pilot trying to make peace with his ex. After being able to get the last seat in the flight she’s in, a series of events prompts Ted to confront his fears and land the plane. And you would think that the whole film would just simply copy another film’s story beat for beat, like having the usual pop culture reference at the time to be there just for laughs. 

        The trio obviously knows how to make the comedy be as hilarious by being completely absurd. I’ll talk about them in a moment. For now, the film works on a whole other level which set the standard for doing a parody. At it’s core, it’s a disaster parody film, but the way it goes about it is to set up the pieces that may heighten the situation. 

        You can call it a red herring or good punchline. For instance, when we see a patient being boarded on the plane. The girl needs a heart transplant and is explicitly told to stay calm. As you would expect in this film it all goes wrong, but not in the way you would think. You assume the joke would go one way, only to throw a curveball when a flight attendant gets involved. It takes a special talent to fool the audience and still be hilarious. 

        With that, the characters are all enjoyable. This is the main highlight in the film that is probably the secret weapon to make either a comedy or parody film work. The characters are played straight, while a whole lot of batshit moments occur. No character brings up the zaniness of it, just the initial reaction of something happening. It’s what makes the whole film unique since anything that seems out of the ordinary is played completely straight. Like the whole scene involving Kareem Abdul-Jabar, it’s an absolute classic moment.

2. Z.A.Z. 

        These three changed comedies in the 80s. Jim Abrahams, David and Jerry Zucker both did the double duty of writing and directing. They got their start by being the writers for John Landis’ anthology film The Kentucky Fried Movie. From there, they made this film and of course branched off and did their own thing. It has to be noted that the writing is so on point that, it’s honestly a comedic feat that they managed to make any situation seem more outlandish than the last one. 

        As I mentioned earlier, what makes the film work is that everyone is played completely honest during something outrageous happening. It’s rare, and this type of comedy is mostly called heightened reality. Think of it as an actual event being presented with higher emotion. That works when it’s amped to eleven on the funny scale, while on crack. 

        To put it more simply, everyone’s a joke. Leslie Nielsen at the time was known for dramatic tv roles. When the trio decided to use him in the film, it was to have him be the straight man with everything happening. It basically helped Nielsen transition from one genre work to another, for better and worse. And as I brought up earlier with Kareem, it’s so perfect that you don’t really need an explanation as to why he’s there. The kid just getting to him is utterly hilarious. To think that he was a reference to a past LA Rams player appearing in Zero Hour. 

        They obviously went all out to break and make fun of every single possible airplane maneuver, procedure in the film. There’s honestly no way to put it into words, but I will say that I’m glad that they didn’t do the sequel since they exhausted every joke within aviation. It’s one of those lighting in the bottle moments where the trio were just writing and knocking every joke they could think of. 

3. Legacy

        Looking into their filmography, they defined the genre with how they told a joke visually. And it only seemed in a matter of time when they split up and did their own thing. Obviously, they worked better together but seeing just how one of them made the critically acclaimed Ghost, says just how much each of them influenced each other with their comedic wits. 

4. Overall

        Airplane! works as both a comedy and a parody. Watching now, you wouldn’t think it’s a parody but just a comedically absurd classic. It’s an accomplishment to have it work without any reference, and still be hilarious.