The stars of ‘The Hangover,’ from left: Zach Galifianakis (with baby “Carlos,” Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms.
Warner Bros. Pictures
CHAMPAIGN — The 26th edition of Ebertfest will close with a comedic classic that had the festival’s namesake roaring with laughter.
Two months after it was announced that April’s annual event would open with its first-ever Western, Wednesday brought word that Roger Ebert’s Film Festival would close on April 26 with a Virginia Theatre screening of 2009’s “The Hangover.”
Scott Budnick, an executive producer on what became the top-grossing R-rated comedy of all-time, has also been booked and will take questions from the audience afterwards.
In his three-and-a-half-star review, Roger Ebert described the Las Vegas-set, Todd Phillips-directed comedy starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham and Justin Bartha (with a cameo from Mike Tyson) as “a funny movie, flat out, all the way through. Its setup is funny. Every situation is funny. Most of the dialogue is funny almost line by line.”
Said festival co-founder Chaz Ebert: “I look forward to hearing the laughter and excitement from the packed house in the Virginia Theatre.”
Festival officials also revealed Wednesday that 2024’s “Rumours,” starring Cate Blanchett, would also be part of the festival lineup.
Described on the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes as a film “ricocheting between comedy, apocalyptic horror and swooning soap opera, ‘Rumours’ follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.”
That makes three films locked in for Ebertfest 26, which opens on April 23 with 1956’s “The Searchers,” co-starring John Wayne and Natalie Wood. More will be added in the coming weeks, festival officials said.
All-festival $200 passes are on sale online or by calling the Virginia Theatre box office at 217-356-9063.