“The Hangover”

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis

Dir: Todd Phillips… “The Hangover”

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis

Dir: Todd Phillips

Warner Bros.

Grade: A-

It may have seemed impossible, but finally the phrases “Mike Tyson” and “hilarious comedy hit of the summer” can be uttered in one earnest sentence.

Like miraculously living through the best night of hard partying and suffering none of the morning-after guilt or sickness, director Todd Phillips’ “The Hangover” is irreverent and uproarious entertainment that keeps viewers laughing, guessing and waxing nostalgic about their own blackout experiences.

Although it would certainly be hard to top the drunken antics the film’s characters go through in — most appropriately — Las Vegas. And that is something to be thankful for.

When three buddies wake up in a destroyed hotel room, physically ravaged from the previous night, to find a clucking chicken in the kitchen, a Bengal tiger in the bathroom and an abandoned baby in the closet, it goes without saying they had an incredible night. Except one of the guys is missing a tooth, and their best friend Doug — the guy they were throwing a bachelor party for — is nowhere to be found.

And his wedding is less than 48 hours away.

Though the set-up may appear as a gateway to mediocre slapstick buddy-comedy, the film fortunately takes the subversive high road, ultimately yielding a fresh and truly funny film that proves modern comedy classics need not be touched by the monopolizing hands of Judd Apatow.

The three hungover friends —Phil, Stu and Alan — are written and directed so they rise above caricature and, more importantly, keep one another’s comedy bits in balance with the overall running-joke of the film.

In the middle of the outlandish and potentially life-ruining events the men suffered during the night of partying — and those during the two days after — everyone comes out a better, more likable person with a stronger bond of male friendship.

Who said bromantic sentimentality couldn’t come wrapped in a smarmy package of self-awareness?

There are times in “The Hangover” when the stereotypical Vegas setting is used to almost irritating extreme. Obviously, someone marries a hooker with a heart of gold (Heather Graham) in a 24-hour wedding chapel and a successful gambling plot device sneakily slips the film through its most rusty of narrative turns.

Thankfully, though, each of these groan-worthy scenes is either played so straight or directed in such a novel way, Vegas becomes a character in the film like we have never seen before. Sorry Nic Cage — “The Hangover” will make you want to do anything but leave Las Vegas.

And make sure to stick around for the credits. I’ve never seen material run during the credits receive laughter as loud as the actual movie. And when you hear the audience reaction for the actual film, you’ll realize that’s no easy feat.