Todd Phillips's The Hangover appears primed to be the breakout comedy of the year and I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of heat for this but the simple fact is that it's just not that funny or as clever as it should be. Will you have a good time? Maybe. Especially if you can do a few shots before the movie or sneak in a bottle of Wild Turkey. But I'm willing to bet that if I gave the writing assignment of the concept of The Hangover to half of you, the script and final film that resulted would be better. Like a desperate stand-up comedian telling as many dirty jokes as he can think of just to provoke a response, The Hangover probably will hit a few funny bones, but I ask those of you that laugh at the high school-level humor in this Vegas comedy to really step back and look at it critically for just one minute. After you've seen it, try and think of one line of dialogue, one twist to the plot, or one acting decision that stands out in your mind. Like a bad night in Vegas, it all blurs together into mediocrity. If you're of the right age and inclination, you've probably had a crazy night out on the town, possibly even in the city that advertises its secret-keeping abilities. Memory has a way of making nights like that even more hysterical than they actually were and the beer goggles of history may create a following for The Hangover. It's got a great concept, decent cast, and a few memorable scenes, but The Hangover just isn't that funny.

The set-up for The Hangover is undeniably great. Three guys have such a ridiculously out-of-control night in Vegas that they lose the groom and fail to find him in time for the wedding. What happened the night before? The film opens with the revelation that Doug (Justin Bartha) is missing and then the film flashes back to the preparations for the bachelor party in the city of sin. Doug's bachelor party buddies include a schoolteacher named Phil (Bradley Cooper) who steals from his students to finance the trip, a weak-willed dentist named Stu (Ed Helms), and his new brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Phil tries to talk Doug out of getting married, Stu lies to his abusive girlfriend (Rachel Harris), and tagalong Alan is uncomfortably weird.

After a toast on the roof of Caesar's Palace, the film flashes forward to the next morning. There's a tiger in the bathroom, Stu is missing a tooth, and Doug has been replaced by a mysterious baby. Without giving too much away, although the previews certainly have no problems doing so, Phil, Stu, and Alan run across a beautiful hooker (Heather Graham), a pair of abusive cops, an effeminate gangster (Ken Jeong), and even Mike Tyson in their attempt to find Doug and unravel the mystery of what the hell happened the night before.

There are several problems with the screenplay for The Hangover - most notably that it's just not that funny and the previews contain all the memorable jokes/scenes – but none quite as damaging as the fact that the film has no lead. I like Cooper, Helms, and Galifianakis as actors but they all play characters that you would expect to see supporting someone more charismatic and interesting. Will Ferrell's Frank the Tank in Old School is great as a supporting character. Imagine three Frank the Tanks. Then imagine how much more effective The Hangover would be if we actually liked the three guys who lose their best friend. Instead, we get a smug misogynist who tries to talk his friend out of getting married to a woman he clearly loves, a schmuck who can't even tell his girlfriend that he's not going to wine country, and the most awkwardly weird (and not funny) characters in years. You know you’re in trouble when Heather Graham’s hooker and Mike Tyson are the most likable characters in your movie. Movies like The Hangover live and die on the chemistry of their leads and director Todd Phillips never works this trio into any sort of rhythm. They just don't work well together and the misogynistic, racist, homophobic comedy falls flat.

Advance buzz and early critical response on The Hangover seems to be positive and I can only think it's because of the strength of the concept and the lack of quality comedy so far this season. Trust me. I wanted to love The Hangover. I had been screaming about its sleeper potential and great concept for months and the preview is undeniably funny. But as the minutes ticked by and I simply wasn't laughing or remotely caring about anything that happened on the screen, the initial buzz started to wear off. Like a drink that used to be popular for a few months or years but no one will touch now, when the years have passed and the buzz has worn off, I honestly feel that people will look back at The Hangover and wonder what they laughed at in 2009. It's the Zima of movie comedies.

Rating: TWO BONES

Reviewed by Brian Tallerico (MovieRetriever.com Film Critic)