Laugh-filled 'Hangover' happily marries comedy, mystery

It's the morning after a wild night, in a Las Vegas hotel suite strewed with the remnants of debauchery. Three groomsmen discover that the fourth member of their bachelor party — the groom — is missing, as is his mattress. There's a live tiger in the bathroom, an equally live baby in the closet, and a chicken wandering aimlessly through the rooms. One of the men is wearing a hospital bracelet; another is missing a tooth. No one has any memory of how all of this happened. They, and we, know nothing of the night before, except for a toast: "To a night the four of us will never forget." Oops.

This, my friends, is a pretty decent way to kick off a movie, no? Though Todd Phillips' comedy "The Hangover" doesn't exactly start here — there's some fairly rote stage-setting and character introduction beforehand — this wake-up scene, with the camera nicely conveying the staggering disorientation of the Morning After, is where things really get going. And from there on, it's a lot of fun, combining comedy with mystery as the trio tries to piece together what happened. Ultimately, all is explained. Except for that chicken, which I'm still pondering.

The guys are Phil (Bradley Cooper), the cool one; Stu (Ed Helms) the dorky dentist (he keeps trying to pass as a doctor, but the others won't let him); and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), the socially inept oddball (he's the bride's brother, reluctantly permitted to tag along). Quickly, they become a team, calming each other's panic and turning detective as they desperately try to find Doug (Justin Bartha) in time for the wedding, crossing paths with a stolen police car, a revenge-seeking kid, a sweet-natured stripper (Heather Graham), an angry gambler (Ken Jeong), a drug dealer named Doug (Mike Epps), and Mike Tyson, owner of said tiger.

Phillips ("Old School") and the writers (Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, redeeming themselves after "Four Christmases") can't resist some tacky laughs. (Is the sight of a naked senior citizen really that funny?) But they keep things funny and fast, and wisely wrap up the action just before the movie runs out of steam; Judd Apatow, please take note. And at its heart it is something big-budget comedies often lack: an irresistibly good story that draws you in. "The Hangover" should be a huge hit this summer for laugh-starved audiences; happily, it delivers.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com