Galifianakis. Get used to it.

In theaters Friday: Away We Go [Limited Release], The Hangover, Land of the Lost

New on DVD/Blu-ray: Defiance, He’s Just Not That Into You, Revolutionary Road

The Movie Filter is not often used for blanket endorsements of individual actors, but since I haven’t watched anything new this week I thought it would be best to take a brief moment to admire Zach Galifianakis, who can be seen starting Friday in The Hangover. That’s right. The beard, the mussed hair and wrinkled polo shirt, the panda belly. All of him.

If, at this point, you are asking yourself, “Self, who is Zach Galifianakis?” and if you haven’t seen his now-iconic Live at the Purple Onion DVD or any of the dozens of brilliantly off-putting YouTube clips available like this Michael Cera interview from his awkward, PBS-style chat show Between Two Ferns, or if you missed his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel when he came on pretending to be his own twin brother, an effeminate Southern football coach lost in the big city, then you are in for one funny day because after you ask yourself “Where have I been?” and the fuzziness from slamming your head against your desktop clears up, you’ll want to watch all of it.

For such a unique and bold comedic talent—his stand-up style mixes an abrasively confessional tone with an affable angst aimed at modern American commercialism, materialism, racism and celebrity. And for the most part, it’s uproarious. After a recurring role in the mid-‘90s series Boston Common, and a string of low-budget B-movies, Galifianakis nabbed his own series on VH1. The Late World with Zach debuted in the spring of 2002, and my college roommate and I must have been two of the very few fans devoted to the sketch comedy and interview show because it was cancelled after nine weeks. In 2006, the comedian became a legit lip sync star with appearances in music videos for Kanye West and Fiona Apple, and last year pulled off a successful stand-up tour with his pals called the “Comedians of Comedy,” and starred in three wildly popular Absolut Vodka ads with absurdist comedy duo Tim and Eric that have gone viral. But even with a unique look and delivery—Joaquin Phoenix’s much talked about David Letterman appearance earlier this year was eerily similar to Galifianakis’ on stage persona—his is still under the radar, a subversive, counter-fame indie comedian.

Well, things pick up this week for the North Carolina-born comedian. New York Times Magazine just profiled him and The Hangover opens Friday with a great chance of being the breakout comedy of the summer. In it, Galifianakis tussles with an unexpected tiger and becomes the ill-quipped primary caregiver for an unknown infant. The film looks like a lot of fun, but even more interesting will be to see what it does for Galifianakis’ career. What does an indie comedian do when called into the mainstream? Knowing Galifianakis, he will find ways to surprise us.