daniel cohen gets in it with the wolfpack …
In 2009, a little known comedy called The Hangover made a crap load of money. It introduced us to Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, and Bradley Cooper. One of these actors went on to get an Oscar nomination, while the other two will do the same brand of comedy for the rest of their lives. But we aren’t really here to talk about that. The Wolfpack journey is ending this weekend with The Hangover Part III … one last romp with Stu, Phil, Doug, Mr. Chow, and of course, Alan. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of this series, but they have their moments. I’m here to break down the drunken haze of the first two films, and filter out the comedy that actually does work. And yes, I even included moments from Hangover II … sue me. But how about we ‘Let the Dogs Out,’ and take a look at my Top 10 Best Jokes from the Hangover Series, thus far!
10. Alan’s Wolfpack Speech (Hangover Part I):
Yes, the first mention of the Wolfpack. The best part about this speech is the beginning. ‘Hello. How about that ride in? I guess that’s why they call it Sin City.’ The laugh Alan does right after that is very unique, as I don’t think many actors could pull it off. The rest of the speech is fine, but it goes on a little long. Alan’s laugh is the only reason this makes the list. It gets me every time.
9. “Hey, there are skittles in there!” (Hangover Part I):
-This is pretty late in the film, yet Alan never ceases to amaze me. These three guys are basically held at gun point by a gangster, yet Alan is deeply concerned about the skittles Mr. Chow just crushed. I love the look of intensity on his face…he seriously wants to fight him over skittles. Funny scene, but I’m more partial to M&M’s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuI0fssTXtQ
8. “What is this, a PF Changs?” (Hangover Part II):
They walk into a monastery, and that’s Alan’s response. I think the line speaks for itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X30SeuU8qQ0
7. Mike Tyson Punches Alan (Hangover Part I):
Mike Tyson’s performance in this movie gets way too much credit, but in this scene, it’s justified. First of all, the fact that he’s singing along to Phil Collins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’ is funny enough. And what I love about this scene is you have no idea where it’s going. You know it’s building to something, and when he wallops Alan, it caught me completely off guard … classic.
6. “What is this, a snake skin?” (Hangover Part I):
-Alan sees a used condom and thinks it’s snake skin…hilarious.
5. Stu’s Tiger Song (Hangover Part I):
This just comes out of no where. And I love that it’s Stu, not Alan. It makes it that much more random. I also love how the chicken stands on top of the piano. Or is it a rooster? Whatever. Best line from the song has to be ‘Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit’ in response to the question … ‘what do tigers dream of?’
4. “K as in Knife.” (Hangover Part II):
Just watch the clip. Honestly, I don’t know why I find this utterly hysterical, but when I first heard this line, I completely lost it. Just look at how Alan gives a little look up after saying it … it’s just funny.
3. “This isn’t the real Caesar’s Palace, is it?” (Hangover Part I):
When watching a comedy, all great lines could have potentially been improvised. But assuming this was in the script, I would have loved to of been a fly on the wall when this joke was conceived. Genius.
2. Alan’s Room (Hangover Part II):
This scene in a weird way actually sums up my problem with the Hangover series. I feel like the best scenes are before the actual ‘Hangover‘ stuff. The banter between the four main actors (Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha) is great. Just witty dialogue and subtle comedy. But when they get into the actual ‘We don’t remember anything that happened’ part of the story, it’s just shock jokes. But this scene in Alan’s room is where the series shines brightest. The dialogue here is priceless, with Alan using an intercom to tell his mom to pick up his lunch, and later telling her ‘I guess we’re not doing dessert anymore … would a cup cake kill you?’ I could have watched these guys hang out in Alan’s room for another 90 minutes. In fact, I’d love to see a Hangover movie where it’s just watching them interact in mundane every day life situations.
1. Enter Leslie Chow (Hangover Part I):
One of the funniest introductions ever to a character. The set-up is simple: They check the trunk, and an Asian guy jumps out and starts hitting them with a crow bar. Beautiful. This scene left me in absolute stitches. And Alan makes it even better with the Godzilla lines …’I hate Godzilla. I hate him too. He destroys cities.’ Too much Mr. Chow was a huge criticism in the sequel, and it looks like that same criticism is already apparent in the third entry. Maybe they’re right, but at least in this scene we see Mr. Chow in all his glory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0FWq-wEXME
