True story:

My worst hangover took place the summer after I graduated high school, a wee lass of 17. I went to Mexico with my big sister and, after some ill-advised fraternizing with two men by the names of Carlos and Charlie, the following took place. Seriously. I wish I were making this up just to impress you.

I woke up in a wheelchair in the soaking rain, covered in what I can only assume was my own vomit, missing my sister, my jewelry, several bags of souvenirs, and my goddamn shoes. Oh yeah, one other minor detail—I was being loaded onto a cruise ship ON WHICH I DID NOT BELONG.

You are impressed, aren’t you? I often think back to what would have happened if I’d woken up even an hour later, somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. I’d like to think I would have handled that well. But thanks to my hotel wristband, one random cruise passenger/guardian angel who spoke English, and some kindly cops who overlooked the fact that I didn’t turn 18 until the following month, I made it safely back to my hotel room to find my sister passed out in all her clothes with her head resting tranquilly on the toilet.

The fellas from The Hangover didn’t fare quite so well. Todd Phillips’ bromedy features some of the most abominable consequences of over-imbibing that I’ve ever seen. AND IT’S AWESOME. Bradley Cooper is hot and hilarious, Ed Helms is, well, Andy—but I love Andy!—and Zach Galifianakis completely met my outrageously high expectations with his twisted man-child version of so-sad-it’s-funny comedy.

Oh, the trials these cute, silly boys endure. And those Vegas cops aren’t nearly as sympathetic as the Cozumelian officers with whom I enjoyed such a friendly rapport! Watching these gentlemen juggle a tiger, an infant, a stripper, an unplanned wedding, the loss of a best friend, legal disputes, Chinese gangsters, vehicular catastrophe, and Mike Tyson all while battling splitting headaches and cotton mouth actually made me feel a tad nostalgic for those days of 17 when I could be irresponsible as shit and suffer no consequences. My parents never even found out! Until…now, actually.

The Hangover is damned funny, and Todd Phillips schools Judd Apatow in how these silly boy comedies should be done: in under two hours. Miraculous! The movie’s a little subtler than you might expect and included a cameo from my absolute favorite part of Old School, as well as some Rain Man and Three Men and a Baby shout-outs that aren’t to be missed. But casting Galifianakis was Phillips’ true master stroke, as he took this film from your typical macho comedy to something’s that’s beautifully weird and awkward as hell. And that’s hilarity!