At The Movies With Peter Travers: “The Hangover” and “Land of the Lost”
Two new films debuting in theaters will attempt to make you laugh this weekend, but only one succeeds. Judging by its hilarious trailer, The Hangover generated some serious word-of-mouth buzz, and thankfully the rest of the film doesn’t disappoint says Peter Travers. Sure, the plot sounds generic: A drunken bachelor party in Las Vegas goes awry, penned by the writers behind Scum Bucket films like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Four Christmases. But Old School director Todd Phillips takes the story of three buddies trying to piece together the night before and turns it into the best comedy of the year. The film stars Ed Helms (The Office‘s Andy Bernard), Wedding Crashers villain Bradley Cooper and comic Zack Galifianakis, a bearded teddy bear of a man who makes Travers laugh just at the sight of him. Mike Tyson also provides what is guaranteed to be the cameo of the year, appearing as Mike Tyson. “This is what I call a comedy,” Travers says.
Boasting bigger star power and a bigger budget, Will Ferrell’s remake of the popular TV show Land of the Lost did not find its way to Travers’ funny bone, instead finding a home in this week’s Scum Bucket.
Anytime you put Ferrell and Hot Hick Danny McBride on screen together, you should expect comedy gold, like when the pair teamed up in Eastbound & Down. “I can watch Will Ferrell and Danny McBride in anything,” Travers says. “Unfortunately, Land of the Lost is less than anything.”
The film is “stupid beyond endurance” and wastes the talents of its principal actors, thus the reboot is being tossed in the Scum Bucket alongside summer duds like Night of the Museum 2, Dance Flick and every other failed ’09 comedy.
Read this week’s reviews: