"Hangover" is better than two aspirin

So many movie makers make the mistake of filming a wild party, incorrectly assuming that if the characters are having fun so will the audience.

With a few exceptions (the Christmas party in "The Apartment" comes to mind), it doesn't work that way.

A better idea is to film the aftermath of a wild party -- the smoldering furniture, the chicken strutting around the luxury hotel suite, the unexplained baby in the closet.

All these things, and much, much more, follow in the wake of an epic Las Vegas bachelor's party in the often-hilarious comedy "The Hangover." As one character says while hoisting the first Jagermeister of the evening, it will be a night they will never forget.

But they do, courtesy of an unexpected dose of Rohypnol, the date-rape drug. The next morning, the three friends wake up in a hotel room in extreme distress and they try to remember what happened the night before. They also try to locate the fourth friend, who is missing and who is due to be married in 24 hours.

Losing a groom is funnier than losing a car, the central device in the similarly themed "Dude, Where's My Car?" and it is much funnier than killing a prostitute, the central device in the identically themed "Very Bad Things." There is still a bit of a sense of danger, in that the groom could be dead, but the fun lies in finding out what happened.

Leading us on this merry, R-rated ride are the three intended groomsmen, who hope to let what happened in Vegas stay there. Schoolteacher Phil is the most sensible of the group, though that is relative; he is played by Bradley Cooper of "He's Just Not That Into You," who looks like a young Ralph Fiennes. Dentist Stu, played by Ed Helms of "The Daily Show," is saddled with a shrewish and not always faithful girlfriend (Rachel Harris). And the reliable comedy relief is provided by Alan, played by Zach Galifianakis, who is reminiscent of Steve Zahn, only funny.

The director is Todd Phillips, of "Old School," "Starsky and Hutch" (ouch!) and "School for Scandal" (oof!). This time out, he quickly finds the right tone, mixing over-the-top action with occasional sprinklings of subtlety, his palette brightened by the sun and colored with neon at night. However, he does allow the pace to flag for several scenes toward the end; the premise is just not strong enough to sustain a movie's full length.

But there is plenty of laughter to be found before and after this stretch. It's not often you can say this, but this "Hangover" is a good time.