By When Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg produce a film, you pretty much know what you’re going to get. As the duo have made their way through the romantic comedy, high school buddy film, stoner comedy, old Hollywood existential, superhero story, disease, wacky road trip, post-apocalyptic, and even a wacky neighborhood film, they’ve left their stamp on each genre with their amped up and perpetual goofy nature.
Like many of their films before it, The Night Before doesn’t want to reinvent the holiday film but rather celebrate what we love about them. Relying so much on the same gags can be a bad thing, but it’s hard to mind too much when the leads are so charming.
The Night Before
Director: Johnathan Levine
Rated: R
Release Date: November 20th, 2015
When Ethan’s (Joseph Godon-Levitt) parents pass away, his friends Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris Roberts (Anthony Mackie) decide to start a new holiday tradition where they combine all of their usual traditions and party. 14 years later, that tradition is coming to an end as Isaac’s becoming a father and Chris is now too famous an athlete to hang out. As their lives drift apart and Ethan’s seems to be going nowhere, he clings to the last hope for their tradition: The Nutcracker Ball, a secret super party which the three have been trying to go to for years. As they look for the party, drug laced Christmas shenanigans ensue.
Night Before is incredibly nostalgic. From the outset you’ll notice plenty of shout outs to films of Christmas past (like Home Alone and It’s a Wonderful Life), but your enjoyment of these references and gags only really work if you remember them well enough. These gags don’t have much at face value, but utilize that nostalgic work around to get a pleasant chuckle every now and then. Thankfully the film doesn’t do this too much, but the gags that don’t work because of this stick out even more so when the original jokes land much better. These little references feel too much like an afterthought, so I’m just left trying to figure why’d they’d even include these in the first place. It brings the film down a notch since this noticeable roughness often comes paired with bouts of awkward silence rather than laughs.
We could debate taste in humor all day, but the main core of the film is decidedly within its three main characters. Each one having their own little adventure, with only two getting true resolution, Ethan, Isaac, and Chris are crafted well. Thanks to the writing, and how comfortable the trio of actors is with one another, these guys feel lived in. Each character has a strong emotional, and most importantly human, center that helps anchor the film when it goes off the rails. Unfortunately, there are points when they get a bit cartoonish (especially during most of Isaac’s drug binge or Chris’ encounter with a strange thief) and the story goes through these weird non-sequitors which only serve to diminish the film’s actual plot. It just seems weird to, at one point, focus on cocaine shenanigans and then try and remind us there’s a Christmas story being told. Rogen and Goldberg’s films do this all the time, but I guess there’s just a more noticeable juxtaposition when the main story is all about holiday niceties.
Johnathan Levine, who’s directed Rogen and Gordon-Levitt before in 50/50, captures the spirit of the holiday film quite well. The little details sprinkled throughout the film like the trio’s holiday sweaters, the entrance to the Nutcracker Ball feeling appropriately magical, or even not including any holiday music to keep it all inclusive, help to make it timeless, but there are some odd cameos that really date the film and will set it back. And I know the trio have to separate to serve the story, but I wish we were able to enjoy Rogen, Gordon-Levitt, and Mackie in the same room more. Each of their scenes together is an absolute highlight as they bounce jokes off one another and generally charm up the place. Even some of the film’s occasional wonky dialogue comes across natural for them. It’s pretty neat to see in action. I hope they find themselves all together in another project someday. Also, if they could somehow get another appearance from the actor that plays Mr. Green, I’d be there day one.
In the end, there’s not really much else to say about The Night Before. I had a good time watching, even if there were a couple of times I found myself scratching my head over their comedic choices. If you’ve seen Rogen and Goldberg’s films in the past, you already know what to expect and have decided whether or not to see this already. The addition of Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the mix helps take the film to a more emotional place than usual, but you’re constantly reminded that this is another film in a long line of others like it.
It’s like that one Christmas where you got a cool Nintendo 64, and you’re older cousin keeps telling you he got one first. You’re going to have a good time, but it’s a little less fun than it should be.