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Some guys just can’t handle Vegas. And others plow their way through the city magnificently, managing to score a new wife, a white tiger, a pet chicken, a mysterious baby, and a stolen police car in the process. Of course, the latter doesn’t happen every day – or ever really – but you’ll believe it does and laugh the entire time in The Hangover, the newest flick to be filmed in and based on Las Vegas. The wild comedy, directed by the same folks who brought you Old School, opens nationally this Friday, but Las Vegas will get the first look as it opens in local theaters today.
Starring Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Heather Graham, The Hangover follows three groomsmen searching for their groom after a wild night in Las Vegas. The morning after said crazy night, Phil, Stu, and Alan wake up with no recollection of what happened and a few extra guests in their completely trashed hotel suite. It’s up to them to find the missing groom and get him to the wedding in time – which they discover is no small task as they piece together the clues of what in God’s earth happened the previous night.
Part of the movie’s fun, aside from the hilarious one-liners and the positively absurd antics of the groomsmen, is spotting all your favorite Vegas places. Much of the movie takes place at Caesars Palace, where the groom and his buddies are staying. Interestingly, though, the suite depicted in the film isn’t available to regular guests…because it’s not actually located in the hotel. Suite 2452, which was inspired by two of the Forum Tower’s luxurious suites, was actually built on a sound stage in Los Angeles.
However, The Hangover filmed all of the hallway and elevator scenes in Augustus Tower and several other scenes in and around Vegas. The movie’s use of Las Vegas figures is also real enough; viewers will recognize more than one familiar face as the film features cameos by hotelier Steve Wynn, Luxor headliner Carrot Top, Las Vegas resident Mike Tyson, and, rumor has it, recently deceased Encore headliner Danny Gans.
By the end of a hilarious on-screen escapade that involves the groomsmen retracing the steps of their bachelor party, local viewers will feel a sense of pride in their city as they watch the protagonists learn an important lesson: some guys really can’t handle Vegas. That, and what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except for herpes. That’ll come back with you.
Though the celebrity premiere of The Hangover is for VIPs only, the public is invited to its afterparty, which starts at 10 pm tonight at McFadden’s in the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. There’ll be half-price appetizers, movie merchandise giveaways, and a $10 open bar, which if you’ve learned anything from The Hangover, you’d be wise not to overdo.
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