Reviews

Yes, it's that good. I just got out of the theater, and instantly felt the need to write a gushing review for this movie.

The premise, free of any major spoilers, is that four friends go to Vegas on a bachelor party, black out and lose the groom. Now this could have gone wrong in production, since a simple recounting of the crazy events would have made a funny but very ordinary movie. Instead, the movie focuses on the morning after, and laugh after laugh results from seeing crazy sh*t that transpired in the last 14 or so hours: including a tiger, Mike Tyson and a naked, angry Asian mobster (whose voice was stereotypically a bit reminiscent of Kim Jong Il from Team America).

It's the characters that really make this movie. The groom doesn't really play that big a role; the future brother-in-law, Alan, and the two best friends, Stuart and Phil are hilarious. Alan is a weird and inappropriate guy that never fails to shock and produce hilarity, with memorable comments like 'Classic!', 'I find your language offensive' and the wolf pack speech. Phil is a bit more of a cliché, but he fills the void of the necessary 'cool guy' of the group, who likes having a crazy time. Stuart is a neurotic kind-of-dork-but-not-really, someone you sympathize with because he's totally whipped.

In conclusion - I think this movie is a must see for anyone that enjoys this kind of humor. There are no fart jokes for the lowest common denominator, but there is an overload of genuinely witty banter and plot twists. There are no clichéd epiphanies or moralization. It's about a good time, perhaps too good a time, that went wrong, that'll make you want to hop in your car and drive to Vegas. This movie really took a trite topic - the bachelor party - and turned it into a great plot, great characters, hilarious lines and a satisfying ending.

Definitely a 10.

Not that I've seen every movie in the annals of Tamil Cinema... But among all that I've seen and heard of Panchatanthiram tops the list. The slapstick humor of Crazy Mohan's script is hard to describe - the spontaneity of his jokes is somehow both hilarious and believable.

Kamal Haasan is at his comedic best. He has distinguished over nearly half a century as an actor capable of playing characters that are psychotic or amusing, pathetic or heroic. Ram, who he plays here is a playboy who discards bachelorhood when he meets his wife, played by Simran. She is always suspicious of his amorous nature (possibly due to the fact that she found him giving a Frencher to an ex-girlfriend at their marriage reception). A comic series of misadventures finally culminating in their separation lays the plot for the movie.

Throw in the comedy of Ram and his four quirky friends (particularly the one played by Yugi Sethu) stuck in the middle of a murder they did not commit, pestered by Yugi's father-in-law (who thinks whiskey is cold coffee), threatened by the charismatic (oh, sorry, I meant sexy) Ramya Krishnan, all the while trying to bring Ram and Mythili (Simran)back together.

There are some unforgettable scenes, like the dead body caught in a laundry chute. A lot of the verbal humor is based on colloquy in Tamil, one of Crazy Mohan's characteristics; they might not come across well in subtitles. Nevertheless, several of the jokes and actions will throw even people who don't know Tamil into hysterics. Kamal Haasan fans will be committing treason if they miss this one; even those who are not crazy about him (few of them out there) will enjoy this masterpiece of the master of Tamil cinema.