Twas the night before Christmas a line that has rang in our hearts throughout the ages. It's simplicity opens up a story of light, one that ignited the excitement of our younger selves in eager anticipation of the magic of the holidays. Well this weekend Hollywood has changed the meaning of that line, giving it one that is a less pure and perhaps more spirited. My final review of the weekend is on the latest comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie.
If you haven't seen the numerous trailers, the plot of this movie is another simplistic telling of three friends who made a pact to uphold a tradition every year. And of course this film focuses on the one night where that pact is threatened by each of the bros special problems. Despite how unoriginal the problems may be, they do set up the comedy stunts that fill this film.. Surprisingly they do an okay job of developing the characters, allowing things to hit the fan just enough to keep pushing our characters towards that convenient moment of self-discovery. The morals are presented in a creative manner similar to a Christmas Carol, a nice twist that fit well with the theme of the movie. Unfortunately all this development is hastily concluded in a nicely wrapped package only Hollywood can create.
However, if I truly came for the story of this movie I would truly be an idiot, much like our characters. The comedy is by far the aspect that received the greatest attention to this film. Twas the Night focuses on the big three of comedy: sex, drugs, and booze (which yes is a drug but deserves a category on its own). Being a Seth Rogen movie, one shouldn't be surprised that drugs drive the actions of our curly headed jester. Weed, among other psychotropic remedies, fuel our characters' journey through the city and ironically is a medium for their self-discovery. Of course not everyone handles their drugs accordingly, which leads to them acting like boobs who can't seem to shut up. Throw in alcohol and the stupidity gets amplified into wreckless chases, ridiculous conversation rants that drag on, and stumbling into unrealistic situations that you can find on most TV comedies
And yet there were still some cleverness to the chaos. I myself loved the movie references in the film, each given a modern twist that was fun to watch. My particular favorite part was when the trio played the floor keyboard in the toy store (can you say Big?). The surprise cameos, one of which I should have seen coming, smoothly transitioned into the story and provided a reprieve from the generic jokes they kept spewing. Heck even some of the drug moments shined brightly, particularly an incident involving a manger, which although random and stupid, still held some class. Unfortunately our writers are not always in good taste, and with how easily offended people get; they have crossed the line more than once in this film.
As for the acting, it is pretty much on par with what I expected. No surprise, Rogen plays the drug-addicted fool, spouting total nonsense in that same awkward and goofy manner he always portrays. If you loved it once, you'll love it again, because his delivery hasn't changed much as well, which somehow continues to be entertaining. Mackie keeps to his normal professional bravado, adding a little craziness and chaos to the mix. His comedy came more from well- delivered dialog and poking fun at the social media popularity. Lovitt is kind of a hybrid of these two, taking the best of each character and delivering perhaps the most dynamic character of the trio. His main gimmick is his lack of emotional control that drives him to doing some petty stupid things. While these actors are funny alone, their greatest strength is the chemistry they have with each other.
Let's wrap this up! Twas the Night fits in well with the other films this studio has made. It is stupid, but it's fun and gives you everything you can expect from the trailers. The chemistry between the three actors sells the relationship, and their different styles of comedy work well to bring the maximum laughs to the silver screen. Sure it's the same monotonous jokes being bashed over your head, but there is some cleverness added to the mix that helps tune it up. However, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't warn that those easily offended will need to brace themselves for the religious jokes in this movie. And please, DO NOT BRING YOUR YOUNG KIDS TO THIS MOVIE!
Is this movie worth a trip to the theater? No, it can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home. However, definitely check it out on RedBox I a few short months.
My scores for this film are:
Comedy: 7.5 Movie Overall: 7
If you haven't seen the numerous trailers, the plot of this movie is another simplistic telling of three friends who made a pact to uphold a tradition every year. And of course this film focuses on the one night where that pact is threatened by each of the bros special problems. Despite how unoriginal the problems may be, they do set up the comedy stunts that fill this film.. Surprisingly they do an okay job of developing the characters, allowing things to hit the fan just enough to keep pushing our characters towards that convenient moment of self-discovery. The morals are presented in a creative manner similar to a Christmas Carol, a nice twist that fit well with the theme of the movie. Unfortunately all this development is hastily concluded in a nicely wrapped package only Hollywood can create.
However, if I truly came for the story of this movie I would truly be an idiot, much like our characters. The comedy is by far the aspect that received the greatest attention to this film. Twas the Night focuses on the big three of comedy: sex, drugs, and booze (which yes is a drug but deserves a category on its own). Being a Seth Rogen movie, one shouldn't be surprised that drugs drive the actions of our curly headed jester. Weed, among other psychotropic remedies, fuel our characters' journey through the city and ironically is a medium for their self-discovery. Of course not everyone handles their drugs accordingly, which leads to them acting like boobs who can't seem to shut up. Throw in alcohol and the stupidity gets amplified into wreckless chases, ridiculous conversation rants that drag on, and stumbling into unrealistic situations that you can find on most TV comedies
And yet there were still some cleverness to the chaos. I myself loved the movie references in the film, each given a modern twist that was fun to watch. My particular favorite part was when the trio played the floor keyboard in the toy store (can you say Big?). The surprise cameos, one of which I should have seen coming, smoothly transitioned into the story and provided a reprieve from the generic jokes they kept spewing. Heck even some of the drug moments shined brightly, particularly an incident involving a manger, which although random and stupid, still held some class. Unfortunately our writers are not always in good taste, and with how easily offended people get; they have crossed the line more than once in this film.
As for the acting, it is pretty much on par with what I expected. No surprise, Rogen plays the drug-addicted fool, spouting total nonsense in that same awkward and goofy manner he always portrays. If you loved it once, you'll love it again, because his delivery hasn't changed much as well, which somehow continues to be entertaining. Mackie keeps to his normal professional bravado, adding a little craziness and chaos to the mix. His comedy came more from well- delivered dialog and poking fun at the social media popularity. Lovitt is kind of a hybrid of these two, taking the best of each character and delivering perhaps the most dynamic character of the trio. His main gimmick is his lack of emotional control that drives him to doing some petty stupid things. While these actors are funny alone, their greatest strength is the chemistry they have with each other.
Let's wrap this up! Twas the Night fits in well with the other films this studio has made. It is stupid, but it's fun and gives you everything you can expect from the trailers. The chemistry between the three actors sells the relationship, and their different styles of comedy work well to bring the maximum laughs to the silver screen. Sure it's the same monotonous jokes being bashed over your head, but there is some cleverness added to the mix that helps tune it up. However, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't warn that those easily offended will need to brace themselves for the religious jokes in this movie. And please, DO NOT BRING YOUR YOUNG KIDS TO THIS MOVIE!
Is this movie worth a trip to the theater? No, it can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home. However, definitely check it out on RedBox I a few short months.
My scores for this film are:
Comedy: 7.5 Movie Overall: 7