The Night Before (2015) Directed by Jonathan Levine. Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie. IMDB says: “On Christmas eve, three lifelong friends spend the night in New York City looking for the Holy Grail of Christmas parties.”
The Night Before stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Ethan, a man who lost his parents around Christmas when he was a teenager. He’s since been kept company each year on Christmas Eve by his two closest friends Isaac and Chris, played by Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie. It’s a fun tradition based around lots of drinking and a really tight bond amongst friends but Isaac and Chris are growing up and becoming too involved in their own lives so they decide to halt their yearly tradition. Ethan isn’t thrilled by this because he isn’t at that point on his life but with this Christmas being the last hoorah, he just so happens upon tickets to an elusive party that they have dreamt of attending for years.
The film is helmed by Jonathan Levine, who directed Gordon-Levitt and Rogen in 50/50. The movie is written by Levine and Evan Goldberg, with a couple others, and there is definitely a heavy stoner comedy aspect through the film blended well with some more emotional moments about friendships evolving as you age. Seth Rogen’s character feels like the driving force behind the comedy of the movie, but Levine does a nice job of keeping it rounded out amongst the characters.
The cast is great. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character is the focus of the story, but Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie definitely have a lot to do. Jillian Bell, Lizzy Caplan, and Mindy Kaling have smaller roles in the film, but are all strong parts. Michael Shannon has a great plot-driving role as pot-dealing spiritual guide to the main trio. There are a few cameos that pop up in the film as well.
The Night Before is a surprisingly good Christmas comedy. It uses its premise as a Christmas themed movie to shape some of the jokes, but uses the holiday as an inspiration for the story rather than as a crutch. It never feels like a Christmas season money grab. It’s a good fit with other Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg movies, but has enough variety to appeal to a larger audience. I can see it becoming a movie I want to revisit over many Decembers to come.
The Night Before is currently
in theaters nationwide.