SMT Weekly Flick by Paul Krismantis
Of Drinking and Dinosaurs…
Land of the Lost (Rated PG-1) 101 mins
The Hangover (Rated R) 99 mins
Oh Will Ferrell, Will Ferrell, why do you torment me? Has there been any other actor this decade that has made more hyped comedies, which were absolutely horrible? I can’t think of one. Last year’s Semi-Pro was one of the worst I have ever seen, and I can’t say that Land of the Lost is much better.
Produced by the same guys who brought us the original series in 1974, Land of the Lost features the same cheesy plotlines, the same awful special effects (16 years after Jurassic Park, and somehow the dinosaurs look worse), and of course, Will Ferrell (can someone please explain to me where his bloated fame comes from?). Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall, who assures the world in an interview with Matt Lauer that he can solve the energy crisis. How? By importing fossil fuels from an alternate dimension. Yes, you read that correctly. Naturally, most the world thinks he is crazy (including the illustrious Stephen Hawking), except for one Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel), who got kicked out of Cambridge for agreeing with Marshall. They team-up to prove themselves right and they are joined by fireworks salesman Will (Danny McBride), who guides them into a mysterious cave. It is in said cave where they find a river, which leads into a mountain where they fall into a vortex which deposits them into the Land of the Lost.
Once in this lost land, the film turns into a reel of dinosaur jokes and prehistoric gags. There really is little else to it. Ferrell turns in his usual antics, Friel basically stands around looking good, and the usually hilarious McBride just seems lost. Of course it’s easy to feel that way when Ferrell does what he can to steal every scene by screaming or doing something over the top. It’s unfortunate that he does so, for some more subtle humor could have made Land of the Lost a much more entertaining film. As it turns out, if you want to see a film about a lost land and actually find something worth seeing, check out Pixar’s Up. For this Land deserves to stay lost.
Thankfully someone who actually knows how to do comedy came along and made the pleasantly surprising The Hangover. It’s not as family friendly (although Ferrell does drop a totally uncalled for F-bomb in Lost), but the laughs are not nearly as manufactured. This is surprising considering that Hangover is another addition to the played-out bachelor party comedy genre. Yet this film doesn’t try to just be another notch in the belt, it chooses to be wholly original instead. What results is a film that is funny from beginning to end.
Instead of taking us through the wildness of the night before, The Hangover follows yon partiers through the day after their party, when they all wake up battered and bruised in their $4,000 dollar suite with no groom-to-be in sight. In his place there’s a tiger, a chicken, a baby, and a pierced belly button. Weird huh? Now imagine waking up to that when completely hungover and no memory of the night’s events after taking Jager shots on the top of Caesar’s Palace. I couldn’t do it, but it sure is funny watching these guys go through it. Their plight is our delight as we watch them stumble through their day trying to find the lost fiancé. It is one misadventure after another, including getting a police car when they present their parking ticket, a visit to a wedding chapel, encounters with Chinese mobsters, prostitutes, and even a face-to-face with Mike Tyson, who it appears they stole the tiger from. Oh, and they end up finding out they were not only hungover, but drugged. What a day huh?
Though hilarious just in setup, The Hangover has a lot more going for it as well. The actors Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis do more than a fine job with their characters, and I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of them continue on to be a household name within the next couple years. This movie isn’t just one joke after another, it is characters who are genuinely funny, and they make the trek that much richer in experience. Added to them is the mixed bag of odd characters they encounter that continuously keep us all guessing (amidst these characters is a much-needed Heather Graham sighting). The only knock is that it truly earns its R rating, so make sure the kids wait a few years. From start to finish The Hangover is a good time, and unlike Ferrell’s Land of the Lost, it doesn’t leave us with a headache.
Land of the Lost: 2/5 stars
The Hang Over: 4/5 stars
