The Hangover Unrated [Blu-Ray]

The best comedy of 2009 is really more of an action-adventure caper, and this unrated edition is packed full of extras, which further illuminate the clues that give The Hangover its outrageous twists and turns. As buddy road-romps go, the film is more than flawless ― the chemistry and vision of Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and director Todd Phillips are peerless and refreshing; it's a dude film with heart and smarts. Playing upon the amnesia of a group of friends hitting Vegas to celebrate an upcoming wedding, only to get drunk, drugged and lose the future groom in the process, The Hangover is an ingeniously dizzying retracing of this motley crew's sordid activities. The "Map of Destruction" feature is just that, spotlighting each of the movie's infamous locations. On-location shoots at Caesars Palace and the Riviera Casino add an element of realism to this otherwise outlandish story. In fact, during the picture-in-picture commentary with the cast and Phillips (which, incidentally contains several inconsistencies from Phillips about what is actually available as a bonus feature on the Blu-Ray, and a weird edit that has him repeating his theory about using comedic actors with different sensibilities), Helms marvels at how real tourists milled about the production, mostly curious because they didn't recognize any of the actors. In a sense, their anonymity infuses their performances with an added layer of surprise and the freedom to improvise before their trusting director. Galifianakis suggested wearing a jock strap instead of tighty whities in an early disrobing scene, while Helms actually had a tooth implant removed to fulfil one of the film's most grisly plotlines. In "The Madness of Ken Jeong," the ridiculously gifted comic performer introduces a series of deleted scenes where he works to develop the unforgettable character of Mr. Chow. In amazing improvisations, he goes off on rants about cumming all over his enemies while the extras around him completely lose their shit. Although Jeong's the secret weapon, the initial buzz about The Hangover stemmed from Mike Tyson's presence in the trailers, playing himself and air-drumming along to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." In the "Map of Destruction," we learn that the Champ balked when Phillips offered to help him knock out Galifianakis, uttering the best insult of the production: "The Captain of the Jewish Debating Team is gonna teach me how to throw a punch?" Elsewhere, we learn that Phillips had Rachel Harris (playing Helm's battleaxe girlfriend) dye her hair brown so as to further differentiate her from blonde-hair ray of sunshine Heather Graham, who plays his one-night stand/Vegas wife. Each actress does an outstanding job and the film looks amazing thanks to cinematographer Lawrence Sher, who Phillips gives special props to. Much like the "More Pictures from the Missing Camera" feature, which expands upon one of the film's most rewarding and unexpected comic shocks, The Hangover is a gift to fans of one of the funniest films of the millennium. Plus: Action Mash-up; Three Best Friends Song; The Dan Band; Gag Reel.