Hollywood Road

Before its official release, "The Hangover" also had a test screening, and film critics gave it a lukewarm response. A typical gross-out comedy, it was unlikely to win their favor. Similarly, the impact of professional film critics on such vulgar comedies is minimal. Unlike the critics, general audience members who participated in the test screening gave it very high ratings.

Even in July, "The Hangover" won the Montreal Comedy Film Festival's Director of the Year Award.

However, one aspect of the film was heavily criticized: Murphy.

"I think acting is a new challenge," Murphy said in the interview area at the end of the red carpet, surrounded by Stanton disciples, responding to questions about his first film role. "The role of the groom is very challenging..."

Robert Downey Jr. and Jonah Hill already started laughing, followed by James Franco and Seth Rogen.

"I admit," Murphy said with a hint of helplessness, "I'm not a good actor, and I gave Seth, the director, a hard time on set."

After saying this, Murphy stepped back, letting Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jonah Hill take center stage as the real protagonists of the film.

Others continued to be interviewed, while Murphy found David Ellison standing at the back.

"I hope this film sells well," said David Ellison, looking worried, about the same age as Murphy. "It could make up for the loss from my last failed investment."

"Don't worry too much, David. Investing is always a mix of ups and downs," Murphy patted him on the shoulder.

David Ellison did not heed his advice and went on to invest in "Aerial Heroes." Even though James Franco was no longer the lead actor, the film was a total disaster, becoming a major debacle in Hollywood for the year and was listed by many production companies as a textbook example of failure.

"But you're always successful!" David's brows furrowed even more.

"Come on, you want to compare yourself to Murphy?" Megan Ellison came by, overhearing David Ellison's remark, and said mockingly, "What do you have to compare to Murphy?"

David scratched his head, unsure of what to say. Apart from a wealthy family and a successful father, he felt he fell short in every aspect compared to Murphy.

Murphy had never failed in film investments; his fame was as bright as the noonday sun in Los Angeles; and even in terms of girlfriends, while David only had a trophy girlfriend, Murphy's girlfriend was beautiful, gracious, smart, and mature, truly a significant asset to his career...

Thinking this, David felt somewhat dejected and knew he had to work harder.

As the time came, Murphy and the others entered the Hollywood Chinese Theatre to wait for the premiere of the film.

Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill had a good understanding of vulgar comedies. The film was well-produced with plenty of humor, and importantly, it incorporated elements of mystery within the comedic atmosphere.

Although Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill made many revisions and changes, the main plot of the film remained unchanged.

Murphy's character was about to walk down the aisle and marry the woman he loves in a few days. Upon hearing this great news, his buddies were genuinely happy for him and decided to throw him a bachelor party. Thus, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Robert Downey Jr. drove to Las Vegas to spend a wild and chaotic last single night together...

Under the influence of alcohol, the five of them fell into a deep sleep. When they woke up, they had no memory of what had happened the night before. This wouldn't be a big deal, but the real problem emerged: only four of them remained in the room, and the main character of the party, Doug, portrayed by Murphy, was missing! Even stranger, there was a tiger in the bathroom, and a baby, seeming less than a year old, in the closet!

Faced with such chaos, James Franco and the others were completely at a loss. But they knew they didn't have much time and had to figure out what happened last night because the wedding was approaching, and they had to find Doug within two days, or bigger troubles would arise.

The three began to search clumsily for the truth of the previous night, but as events unfolded, they encountered increasingly difficult challenges...

Simply put, this is a comedy set in Las Vegas where four groomsmen and the groom-to-be have a wild drunken night at a bachelor party, and upon waking, find the groom missing. They must then recall the events of the previous night to find the groom and ensure the wedding can proceed smoothly.

Perhaps Seth Rogen was naturally suited for this type of film, or perhaps seeing his own people made it easier for Murphy to appreciate the movie, but he thought it was even better than the previous one.

It's undeniable that Seth Rogen had a knack for this, and a few clever tricks made the film more appealing to the audience.

First, he

 used a completely civilian perspective.

The film was entirely about ordinary people, highlighting the narrative and human touch, touching the hearts of most people, unlike Murphy's films which portrayed universal values typical of American life.

The four main characters were all stereotypical, easily recognizable and memorable to the audience: the genteel dentist, the anti-establishment middle school teacher, the somewhat claustrophobic Alan, and the mouthy bad friend, almost as if they were neighbors living in a community.

Another major feature of stereotypical characters is that due to their clear personality orientations, they easily win the audience's identification. Everyone has various desires, and many stereotypical characters meet one aspect of the audience's psychological needs, making them likable and cherished.

Moreover, the integration of mystery elements into the comedy atmosphere was well executed.

Suspense is one of the most important narrative elements in film, generating curiosity, anxiety, unease, or sympathy, and creating anticipation for the future part of the narrative. When the audience sees a convoluted timeline or encounters an unresolved issue, they naturally develop a desire to solve the mystery.

"The Hangover" belonged to the eleventh type of "mystery-solving": solving the mystery was necessary, or misfortune would ensue.

"The core idea of 'The Hangover' encapsulates the subconscious content of psychoanalysis, reflecting the modern pursuit of stimulation and revelry due to psychological repression. In terms of creative techniques, the film used a civilian perspective, maximized the use of suspense, and accurately captured everyday language, providing visual and psychological pleasure to the audience," commented the Los Angeles Times entertainment section after the premiere, aligning closely with Murphy's view.

Following the premiere, the film was launched in over 3,000 theaters across North America by 20th Century Fox. Contrary to everyone's expectations, the public reception was vastly different from the test screening. While a few media outlets continued to criticize, the majority gave positive reviews.

Despite film critics continuing to lambast this type of gross-out comedy, it couldn't stop comedy enthusiasts from buying tickets and widely praising it after viewing.

"Film Salon" said: " 'The Hangover' transcends typical comedy clichés, appearing fresh, and the camaraderie between the men portrayed feels very believable." The San Francisco Chronicle stated: "This is the funniest comedy of the year so far!"

In terms of ratings, IMDB's 2,924 viewers gave it an 8.5 out of 10, while Yahoo Entertainment and 21 other media outlets collectively graded it an A-. CinemaScore's 2,296 viewers gave an overall grade of A.

Furthermore, the day after the premiere, CinemaScore made a bold prediction: they believed "The Hangover's" final North American box office would exceed $200 million!

Even now, no one would believe a bold prediction that "The Hangover" would reach $150 million at the North American box office, but CinemaScore believed the film could achieve approximately $230 million.

"Just relying on a rating isn't enough to predict how far a film's box office can go," explained a spokesperson from CinemaScore. "You need to consider many factors together, including film rating, genre, audience distribution, and the box office performance of past films with similar scores."

Hollywood always has some films that are completely underestimated by all parties before release and even vilified by the media and critics during test screenings, but they achieve unexpectedly high box office returns after release. "The Hangover" would undoubtedly be among them.

After the first weekend, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "The Hangover" opened in 3,560 theaters, reaching a first-day box office of $19.54 million, and a total of $54.88 million over the first weekend, averaging over $15,000 per theater. For a film with a production budget of about $30 million, the box office performance was spectacular.

"A surprisingly delightful film," "unoriginal plot with hilarious dialogue," "completely engrossing, constantly replaying scenes in my mind," "genuinely funny, unpretentious, without forced melodrama, and impressively performed," "utterly satisfying!" While media reviews remained conservative, the overwhelming audience acclaim already demonstrated the must-watch status of this R-rated comedy.

The support of the audience was crucial for the film's blockbuster success, and the strong market appeal of the Stanton disciples played a significant role.

However, not all reactions from the Stanton disciples were positive, and unfortunately, Murphy became a representative of those who performed poorly, receiving a barrage of criticism from movie fans.

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