The Best Director

The audience in their seats were already feeling a bubble of laughter when they saw Michelle roughly shove Doug and say in a deep voice, “You got two choices, pay me the money, and the guy is yours; or…” She took the toothpick out of her mouth, spat, and pointing it at them, said, “I kill all you bitches, and the money’s still mine.”

As she spoke, the two muscle-heads to her left and right both pulled out a gun, aiming at the trio in front of the Mercedes.

“Whoa, whoa, take it easy, Miss Miller!” The trio, their faces filled with fear, raised their hands high. Zack, the fat one, said defiantly, “I told you we should have brought guns, this is Sin City.” Bradley urgently shouted, “Stu, Stu, give her the money!” Ed, with his broken glasses, helplessly tossed over the money bag, and said, “Can we have our man now?”

The audience was about to burst out laughing when Michelle agreed to release the hostage. The bald muscle-head took off the white hood from Doug’s head, and the three immediately screamed in shock, “Ohh!” The theater erupted into a huge laugh, “Hahaha—” Who didn’t recognize the guy on the screen with his mouth sealed with black tape? Will Smith!

They finally understood what Will Smith’s cameo was. Doug? What was going on?!

“FUCK! Who the hell is this guy?! We asked for Doug, Doug!” Bradley was frantically pissed off; Michelle scratched her forehead confusedly and spread her hands, “What the shit are you talking about? Isn’t he Doug?” Ed bellowed, “We asked for a white guy!”

“Haha, then it’s not my problem.” Michelle scoffed dismissively, snapped her fingers twice, and the muscle-head ripped off Will Smith’s tape. Will yelped in pain and then cursed rapidly, “SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT…! I told you, you got the wrong guy! Busty dumbass chick! Alan! What the hell are you up to! I’ve been locked in a car for a day, nearly scared to death, what the fuck is going on?!”

Listening to Will Smith’s rapid speech, laughter swelled even more across all 2875 theaters in North America including the Xuelan Theatre. Will’s crude and comical persona felt refreshingly new to the audience, revealing a different side to the cool, suave “Chris Gardner” Will. Many people were laughing so hard they couldn’t make a sound, their bellies convulsing intensely and painfully.

“Where’s Doug? Where’s Doug!?” … “Man, I am Doug!” … “I thought you were Will Smith!” … “Yeah, man, a lot of people say I look like him, but he’s not as handsome or as cool or as suave as me, and look, see? He doesn’t have this beautiful mole.” … “Who gives a shit about your stinking pile of dog crap!”

“Ah, haha… cough!” Evelyn’s face was as red as if scorched by fire, her eyes brimming with laughter, yet she was struggling to cough. How could this be so ridiculous! Next to her, Kelly, barely managing her own laughter, bit her lip and patted Evelyn’s back, saying through her laughs, “Next time I’m not watching a movie with you at Amazing Yang, it’s like getting a horror film for free with every movie, I can’t take it!” Evelyn chuckled between coughs, “It’s okay, oh God…”

Another wave of laughter filled the theater. On the screen, Bradley urgently shouted to Michelle’s gang as they were about to leave, “Hey, Miller! He’s not the Doug we’re looking for, give us Doug! You can’t just leave like that, take this pile of dog shit back and give us our money!”

Michelle turned around, looked at him and chuckled until she was bent over, nodding and saying, “Oh, oh, I’ll take him back then and give you the money! But why don’t you try tasting my balls first?”… Doing a jerking off motion with her right hand in front of her crotch, she made a few strokes and then a spraying gesture, imitating, “Whoosh—Christmas present! Fuck you, you bunch of morons.”

“Hahaha…” Natalie was slapping her thigh, and the audience was laughing to the point of near fainting, many uncontrollably shedding tears; others, faces twisted in disgusted amusement, covered their mouths. This was just too vulgar! After that scene, most people had maxed out their capacity for laughter for the night, and it was tough for any new jokes to make their facial muscles convulse crazily again.

“`

On the big screen, the trio endured hardships and finally found Doug, leaving Las Vegas as quickly as possible to rush back to Los Angeles for the wedding. In the final wedding scene, the audience continued to chuckle lightheartedly as they saw many cameos from stars, including Robert Downey Jr. dressed as Chaplin leading the band, guests Tom and his wife, Zachary Levi, Jessica Alba…

After the dentist suddenly broke up with his girlfriend, the teacher was reunited with his family, and Doug had completed his wedding, in the evening, the four guys wrestled over the digital camera that captured their crazy night. Matthew Fox smiled looking at them and said, “Let’s watch it together, just once, and then we’ll delete all the pictures, OK?” Ed said, “Why not delete them now?” Bradley cursed, “If you don’t want to watch, piss off, I still want to know how I ended up in the hospital.” Zack laughed, “It’s in there.”

“Guys, just once! Agreed?” Matthew lifted the digital camera, and the other three nodded, “Agreed.” With a Pac-Man-like sprightly electronic tune playing, the four of them huddled around the camera screen. Matthew pressed play and all four simultaneously jumped back in surprise, covering their mouths and shouting “Oh my God…” The hefty guy laughed loudly and cried, “That’s classic!”

“Wow— wow!” The Snowland Theater erupted into loud laughter and applause, drowning out the film’s end credits music. Moviegoers didn’t stop clapping their hands, and many shouted, “That’s classic!” “So funny!” A stylishly dressed white girl stood up, excitedly yelling, “Magical Yang! You’re so cool!” More and more members of the audience got up laughing, their voices a bit hoarse from laughter: “That was great!” “Cool—!”

Most of the film critics smiled, although many also twisted their lips, Liam Lacey from The Globe and Mail was one of them. He indeed laughed several times, but he found the movie meaningless and outrageously unreasonable, losing its comedic impact. What was wrong with these people? Claudie Yaupg from USA Today, however, kept her eyes glued to the screen. If The Hangover wanted to be a movie that would make people laugh out loud, it had succeeded, and that was enough.

So no one in the theater screening The Hangover left their seats. Everyone watched the cast and crew list on the left side of the screen with enjoyable static pictures while still chuckling—the pictures clearly showed the foursome’s wild night, gambling wildly in the casino with Michelle and others, dancing with strippers at the bachelor party, the dentist using pliers to pull out his own tooth…

Amongst laughter, the 125-minute movie along with the staff and crew list reached its conclusion. Only when the flamboyant movie logo was displayed, the screen returned to black, and trailers for other movies were ready to play did the audience stand up laughing, leaving the theater abuzz with lively chatter and the echoing laughter from the memorable scenes. Everyone wore a smile, light or beaming.

“That was amazing, I almost died laughing.” “I forgive you, Magical Yang, for a decent Christmas gift!” “You’re not talking about that, haha!” Listening to the departing audience’s laughter and chatter, Natalie imitated Wang Yang’s raucous laughter from the movie, flicking the scattered popcorn back into the bucket and muttering with a smile, “Damn Magical Yang! Why didn’t you ask me for a cameo?” It was a regret not to leave a mark in such a great comedy.

“Magical Yang was right, keeping the plot a secret made it so much better. What Will Smith did was so funny!” “Definitely a collectible, I heard the DVD will have more photos, and Magical Yang’s kung fu.”

“You know I’m really surprised now. He can be so vulgar, and Hollywood has only such a director…” Standing in the aisle with passing viewers, Rachel took out her phone and sent Wang Yang a congratulatory text: “Congratulations! You were very funny, and you’re going to be a big star! But I’m ruined! Don’t you dare mock The Hot Chick’s box office.”

In the cinema lobby festively decorated for Christmas, Clair, Janet, and a few others laughed and chatted as they walked out. Clair said with a laugh, “I’ve decided to come back and watch it again next week. Just thinking about it makes me laugh. I want to see that part where the fat guy gets electrocuted.” Janet replied with a laugh, “What day? I want to watch it again, but I have to accompany Bruce…” Clair waved her hand, “OK, OK, he likes Magical Yang too, right?”

The Snowland Theater was thunderous with applause, as the audience enthusiastically expressed their love for The Hangover, sending their praise to the entire cast and crew. Actors in the front rows like Bradley, Zack, Michelle, Charlize Theron, and others laughed heartily. Harry-George, David Lawrence, and other creators also twinkled with excitement—these claps were the highest commendation.

Tom-Wilin clapped vigorously, cheerfully whistling a few times. Next to him, Jamie White suddenly frowned, asking with a laugh, “Dear, you didn’t do these things, did you?” Tom-Wilin froze for a moment, using a line from The Hangover, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?” Seeing her displeased expression, he quickly added, “Nope! No no. Yang’s the crazy one, the others are pretty normal.”

Confronted by his girlfriend Eileen’s questioning, Zachary looked shocked, vehemently denying, “No, how could that be! Just playing blackjack, and it was Yang who played…”

“Alright, Magical Yang, you can reveal the answer now,” Jessica tapped Wang Yang’s thigh and smiled sweetly. Wang Yang looked at her seriously and suddenly burst into laughter, “That’s classic.” Jessica asked, puzzled, “What?” Wang Yang grabbed her hand and kissed it, laughing, “That’s classic!”

“`

On December 13, five movies were released, and after that Friday evening, the most viewed and rated movie on IMDb was “The Hangover,” with 731,568 users participating in the rating. The main page score reached an impressive 8.5, while the TOP250 score was 8.4. For an R-rated comedy film, that’s a crazy, unprecedented score, and its popularity is undeniable, not just because of the “idol director’s” influence.

The only comedy genre films now ahead of it on IMDb are “Forrest Gump,” “City Lights,” and “Dr. Strange” with 8.6, “Modern Times” with 8.5, and “Amelie” with 8.4. However, these are either old Charlie Chaplin films or biographical or science fiction. If we talk about gross-out R-rated comedies from the ’80s and ’90s onwards, “The Hangover” has reached the pinnacle.

User Stuart commented, “In my experience with R-rated comedies, I have never laughed so uncontrollably. It’s a great comedic masterpiece, and I love it more than ‘District 9’.” This comment received a lot of support and replies. Grey-E wrote, “Please forgive my selfishness, but I hope the amazing Yang makes more comedy films and becomes a laugh-out-loud director, instead of one who panders to the Oscars.” Following up, Conniea with a girl avatar wrote, “Yang is both vulgar and profound.”

The fans of the amazing Yang were once again wildly excited, screaming all over the place. Two movies in one year, both extremes, both could be considered great classics!

Evelyn’s blog said, “I laughed almost to the point of suffocation, just a few months ago I vomited from watching ‘District 9,’ two of the most unforgettable events this year! Thank you MY!” Elrad said, “If anyone dares not nominate the amazing Yang for Best Director, they better watch out!” Kayla added, “His sixth film continues to amaze, and he’s only 22!”

The love the film fans had for it was also reflected on the Rotten Tomatoes website, with an audience approval rating of 95%. Phrases like “laughed to death,” “laughed till tears,” and “the best of the year” were everywhere; but many critics had different opinions. Rotten Tomatoes collected 150 reviews, 105 fresh and 45 rotten, with a general critic freshness of only 70%, and notable critics at 75%. Meanwhile, Metacritic gave it a score of 80.

Clearly, those critics didn’t even consider “The Hangover” a good film, let alone a classic. Michael Philip from the Chicago Tribune stated, “This film smells like a disaster, full of vulgarities. From ‘Juno’ to ‘The Hangover,’ maybe the amazing Yang has grown up?” Adam Nadie from The New York Times wrote, “Fools, whores, shrews, stupidity, vulgarity, profanity… they’re so boring. Mr. Amazing, have you had enough fun yet?”

Apart from not appreciating the film’s story and humor itself, “personal attacks” were a main reason the critics threw rotten tomatoes. They expressed their disappointment with Wang Yang. Pam Robinson from FilmCritic analyzed why: “You see the birth of a new Steven Spielberg, maybe more; but suddenly he wants to shoot porn. What are you supposed to do with him?”

Their anger stemmed from watching the amazing Yang grow up, from 18 to 22, witnessing a robustly growing director suddenly turn into a wayward youth, from humanity to excrement, and they were angry. They were even angrier because just a few months ago, they had said, “The amazing Yang is a huge hope for Earth’s directors,” someone who could go to space and compete with aliens in a few years. Now he’s gleefully staging a fool’s show.

Nobody said great directors can’t make commercial films or comedies, but would Steven Spielberg indulge in scatological humor? Would Robert Zemeckis? Would James Cameron? What about Michael Bay, who makes only commercial films? … Let alone whether they would or not, the amazing Yang did! So they were heartbroken. Richard Brunes from the San Francisco News sighed, “After all, he is only 22, the age for college mischief.”

“‘District 9’ and ‘The Hangover’ together had over three hundred F-words. The former shakes your soul, while the latter is meaningless,” they said.

However, the 105 fresh reviews still represented the mainstream voice, these critics joined the “died laughing” camp just like the regular movie-goers, enjoying a joyful feast. As for what kind of animal the amazing Yang would evolve into in the future, they were not worried. Instead, there was a lot of excited anticipation and gleeful praise.

Bessie Sharkey from the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Stupid, outrageous, and hilariously funny. You can never label the amazing Yang with just one style, unless that style is called incredible.” Wilson Morales from BlackFilm noted, “The Hangover is outrageous, entertaining, and laugh-out-loud from start to finish. Young man, well played!” Jeffrey Nick from the Hollywood Reporter commented, “Vulgar, loose, and foolish, but it’s destined to be a comedic classic, one of the funniest movies around.”

“I see this as a farce created by the amazing Yang to release oppression after ‘District 9’, vulgar yet humorous, which laughs till your head aches.” — Kurt Williams, The Washington Post; “If someone can’t find the fun in this movie, they must be Amish elders, babies, or Wikus from District 10. You’re not them but didn’t laugh? Then you must be an unwelcome person.” — Kimberly Giddens, Independent Film; “If you must be foolish, pretend to be clever; if you must be vulgar, carry it with humor. That’s the charm of this wild party.” — Margaret Reyton, Newsday…

And America’s most popular critic, die-hard Wang Yang fan Roger Ebert, published his review in the Chicago Sun-Times right away, filled with praise and affection for “The Hangover”: “Now this is what I call a comedy! Basically, you have no time to rest, laughing from the start to finish—even wanting to watch the entire cast and crew credit roll, similar to how I felt about ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.'”

“The plot is hilarious, the scenes are hilarious, the lines are hilarious, everything is near perfect!” The old man fell just short of calling it the movie “that should embarrass the Christmas season.” He concluded his review with, “I’m very satisfied with this Christmas gift! Magic Yang, two big thumbs up!”

As a commercial comedy, moviegoers consider how much they’ll enjoy the film more than how fresh critics think it is. And isn’t “The Hangover” fresh at 75% in critic ratings? During the first weekend of the Christmas season, countless viewers flooded the theaters. With five new releases and four comedies to choose from, almost every unrestricted audience member over 17 told the ticket sellers, “A ticket for ‘The Hangover,’ please.”

Amidst all the bustling, the weekend of December 13-15 came to a close with the sounds of Christmas carols, and the hilarious “The Hangover,” with or without suspense, topped the charts, seizing the weekend box office crown with an absolute advantage. It premiered in 2,875 cinemas, raking in a total of $55.73 million over three days! This also set a new record for the best opening performance by an R-rated comedy, smashing the previous record of $45.11 million set by “American Pie 2” during the summer season.

And the weekend’s Top-12-Total was $107 million, with “The Hangover” accounting for over 50% all by itself, leaving the other 11 films to divide up the remaining half. This included the four other new releases, all of which were left mercilessly shredded by “The Hangover.”

Coming in second was Wang Ying’s “Maid in Manhattan”, which took in only $10.71 million across 2,838 cinemas, and even its critical reception was a complete defeat, earning a measly 31% fresh rating from critics and 53% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The main critique was its trite and hackneyed story; “Star Trek: Nemesis” took third place with $10.51 million in 2,711 cinemas.

“The Hot Chick,” showing in 2,217 cinemas, landed fourth with a box office of $8.4011 million. But what’s frightful is that it had a meager fresh rating of only 21% from general critics, with almost everything but the actors’ performances being called bad. However, thanks to Rachel McAdams’s popularity and the comedic content, the audience rating stood at 70%. Yahoo’s weekend box office review stated, “If there was a showdown, Rachel was thoroughly beaten by Wang Yang, which was indeed expected.”

Another new comedy, “Drumline,” which premiered in 1,836 cinemas, ranked fifth with $6.26 million; followed by “Choose the Day to Die” with $4.31 million, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” with $3.2 million, and the second-week showing of the R-rated comedy “Analyze That” with $2.46 million…

“The Hangover” had completely dominated the comedy market, its show of force causing all the skeptics to shut their mouths. The box office commentary described this weekend’s champion as, “A pure box office bomb from Wang Yang that had everyone laughing, causing the entire comedy world to tremble with fear!”

Although the Christmas holidays were approaching, the entertainment office of the Los Angeles Times was still a hive of activity. Sitting in her swivel chair, Emma Skaggs stared at her computer screen, tapping rapidly on the keyboard. She hadn’t expected her prediction to come true— “The Hangover” and Wang Yang, like a lion charging into a flock of sheep, had torn apart the four comedies, leaving only “Two Weeks Notice” standing. Could it stop “The Hangover” in its tracks?

She chuckled and shook her head, musing, “The highest-grossing R-rated comedy? The highest-grossing Las Vegas road trip movie?” Just then, she saw her colleague David Klein passing by with a stack of papers and stopped him, laughing again as she said: “Hey, ‘The Hangover!'” David Klein glanced at her with an unceasing smile, replying, “I know! But it’s indeed ridiculous.”

“Did you laugh, though?” Emma Skaggs asked with another laugh. She herself had laughed so hard that tears had flown out. From a distance, the departing David Klein replied, “Of course! I’m a human, not a prawn-person.”

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PS: Seeking monthly tickets, Wah Li continues to earnestly ask for monthly tickets! To think we could rank in the top ten in the urban category, how about we continue to maintain this and strive for better? Let’s make this book’s results soar higher and turn more unexpected possibilities into reality! Thank you, everyone!