Hangover DVD, Blu-ray all about laughs
PHYSICAL: Supporting actor Ken Jeong takes center stage on discs
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 12/10/2009
DEC. 10 | PHYSICAL: Although not a core member of the raucous bachelor party, The Hangover’s Ken Jeong takes center stage on the film's DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
The Hangover grossed $277 million in theaters and comes to DVD and Blu-ray Dec. 15.
Jeong, who plays the villainous Mr. Chow in the movie, is one of the stars of the extras, according to Hangover director Todd Phillips. Jeong is so explosively funny, Phillips couldn’t help but give him a chance to do a 10-minute free-wheeling rant, dubbed ‘The Madness of Ken Jeong.’ The feature is included in the two-disc DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film, streeting Dec. 15 from Warner Home Video.
“It’s a little bit scary and frightening,” said Phillips, who also directed buddy comedy Old School. “I’ve worked with some lunatics before, and he’s the craziest guy I’ve ever worked with. Comics are fearless. [Old School’s] Will Ferrell is fearless. Sacha Baron Cohen is fearless. Ken is fearless at that level. When the cameras roll, he will try anything and everything to be funny.”
Other highlights of the Hangover bonus features, included in both versions, are 100 new photos taken from the film's missing camera that were not included in the theatrical cut.
“There are about 50 more photos of [star] Justin [Bartha] and Carrot Top doing coke,” laughed Phillips.
As packed as the DVD and Blu-ray are with extras—stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis also create their own song—some crazy behind-the-scenes moments didn't make it onto the discs.
For example, during filming, one of the Mercedes used to carry the gang around Las Vegas was stolen from the Caesar’s parking lot. Miraculously, a few days, later one of the Hangover crew members realized he was driving behind the ripped-off vehicle. When the stolen car was eventually pulled over, the driver had a bank safe sitting in the passenger seat.
“No, we don’t have the footage,” said Phillips, who nevertheless enjoyed telling the story.
Phillips is in the process of readying The Hangover 2, which will reunite the original cast. The adventures will take place outside of Las Vegas, but Phillips is confident that fans of the first movie will fall for the second.
“People don’t necessarily care about Vegas, or the tiger or the baby,” said Phillips. “They like the characters. We are taking the characters through a new set of paces.”
As the characters move on from Vegas to a not yet announced place, the city still remains in fans’ hearts. Phillips noted that Caesars continues to catch people sneaking onto its roof, hoping to replicate the related moment in the movie. He also gets a flurry of calls from CEOs of Harrah’s, Mirage and other casinos thanking him for putting recession-plagued Vegas back in the spotlight.
