Will ‘Hangover’ Finally Return Todd Phillips To The Comedy Director Throne He Deserves?

The Playlist is often regarded as stuffy dilettante esthetes masquerading in our smoking jackets and noses turned up at low culture. And while this fact and conceit is essentially true, we do love us some well-made low-art that transcends the gutter of haha irony. But this actually doesn’t apply to Todd Phillips and his “Citizen Kane” of modern comedies, “Old School.” It’s a pitch-perfect film in every manner possible and we will defend it until end days (though it clearly needs no defense, it’s amazing).

This is a circuitous route to saying we were recently lamenting the fact that director Todd Phillips’ career has been stuck in 2nd gear for quite some time now (see the wretched “Starsky & Hutch” and the pretty-much straight-to-video “School for Scoundrels”), and it didn’t help his ailing trajectory when it was announced that Jack Black dropped out of his “Man Witch,” project (which actually could be a blessing in disguise frankly).

However, a new project called “Hangover” has been announced and we’re hopeful: could this be the one that finally ascends him back to the modern comedy throne he so rightly deserves? Check the premise: The film is a “bachelor-party comedy,” about a trio of buddies who lose the groom at their Vegas dude celebration just two days before the wedding. Man, does this not sound like an unofficial sequel to “Old School” or at least very much in the same vein?

The film stars Bradley Cooper, who not only impeccably played the wonderful asshole fratboy in “Wedding Crashers” (another modern comedy lodestone), he has the distinction of being a part of the estimable cast of “Wet Hot American Summer” (again, very laudable). His co-star is Ed Helms, formerly of “The Daily Show,” currently of “The Office,” and a great bit player/ near scene stealer in moments of “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” “Walk Hard,” and “Arrested Development.”

The third buddy role has yet to be cast, but we’re tentatively excited here. The project is said to be moving quickly, so not only will the last trio member be announced soon, it sounds like they’re almost ready to shoot. C’mon Todd, we’re rooting for you, make us proud, you motorboatin’ sonofabitch.