Ed Helms shares why he thinks grandmas love “The Hangover” as much as bros: ‘These sweet boys got themselves in a pickle’

Helms reflected on the enduring, and cross-generational, appeal of the gross-out buddy comedy.

The Hangover isn't just for frat bros.

Ed Helms recently reflected on what it is about his gross-out 2009 buddy comedy that has allowed it to endure the test of time. "The plot of that movie is kind of a magic trick," he told Dana Carvey and David Spade on their Fly on the Wall podcast. "I was in a hotel lobby maybe a month or a few week or two after it came out. There was a group of old ladies, like literally grandmothers sitting around talking about bits from the movie and how funny it was. I remember thinking, 'Okay, this, and then of course you had all the frat boys that love it."

Just what is that magic trick? "The characters are behaving horribly in a way that is very aspirational for young men to be party animals," which "appeals to young people," but "then the next morning they're mortified by their own behavior. So that's what makes it redemptive to the older set who are like, 'Oh, these sweet boys got themselves in a pickle.'"

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As long as your debauchery is served with a side of regret, Helms reasons, it can transcend in its appeal to audiences. When asked by Carvey if "there's anything in The Hangover that couldn't be made today," however, Helms responded, "Oh, I think so."

"I haven't watched it in quite a few years," Helms explained, "but my gut feeling is that a lot of it would probably a little tricky, tonally."

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The Hangover is a paragon of crudity. The film follows three best friends (Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Bradley Cooper) of a groom-to-be (Justin Bartha) who wake up after a wild night in Vegas with no memory of their apparently wild night before. Helms has a missing tooth, Bartha's mattress lies impaled on a nearby statue, and a giant Bengal tiger is roaming their hotel suite.

As they retrace their steps they regain memories of the unspeakable acts they committed the night before, which include stealing a police car, getting tasered in front of a group of children, getting knocked out by Mike Tyson, and a final slideshow of images you might wish you could unsee.

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Perhaps the reason a film as extreme as The Hangover appeals to a demographic not known for their appetite for extremity is the care and professionalism that went into making it. As Helms recalled, "Zach and Bradley actually were almost competitive about being on time and being professional and showing up for Todd [Phillips], because Todd is a very obviously fun and hilarious director, but he's very professional." He continued, "It's a grown-up set. It's not like other comedy movies I've been on where it feels like a party."

The Hangover is a tornado of a viewing experience, and caused a "tornado of fame" to touch down in Helms' life. He recently starred in the McG comedy Family Switch, and launched season 2 of his podcast Snafu which looks into the secrecy and illegality around J. Edgar Hoover's FBI.

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