If the Grinch rolled National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and This Is The End into a blunt and smoked it, The Night Before would become the product of his high. In The Night Before, Isaac (Seth Rogan), Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and Chris (Anthony Mackie) are three best friends who spend every Christmas Eve together engaging in the same traditional, intoxicated, antics that over time have dwindled in excitement due to the inevitable, dreaded, adulthood. However, on this last night of their annual event, they have finally come across tickets to the nutcracker ball, a mega hyped Christmas party that only those who receive the red "golden ticket like" passes can enter.
The film itself already has an interesting trio at the helm. Seth Rogan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie, while not really fitting into the same typecast category, are all able to play well off of each other throughout the film. Along with other supporting actors such as Jillian Bell (Betsy), Lizzy Caplan (Diana), Mindy Kaling (Sarah), and Michael Shannon as Mr. Green, everyone in the film appeared to provide balanced chemistry amongst their interactions on screen. Not taking a good look at the full cast list beforehand also plays nicely as there are a few other Hollywood stars that are featured in some short parts.
As for the comedic aspect, you kind of know what to expect in a film with Seth Rogan. Yes there are plenty of vulgar, stupid, drug induced scenes in the film. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not, considering there are a few, I laughed so hard I nearly spilled my popcorn, scenes. Unfortunately, most of the really funny scenes consisted of the character struggling with their altered perception of reality, while the rest, consisting of minor chuckles, fell elsewhere.
There were some different cinematic choices that play into the overall comedic environment of the film. The use of camera phone points of view and the visual creation of perceived drug related hallucinations add a little more jingle. It does however fall short from being able to separate itself from the countless other holiday based comedies, although it does moderately deliver on its goal and doesn't seem to be too forceful.
The Night Before, while paying homage to some other Christmas films, seems like more than your old run of the mill illegal drug based comedy. While this may seem like the main focus of the film on the surface level, there are some underlying themes that can play into the true meaning of Christmas spirit. Isaac, Ethan, and Chris all struggle from some sort of relationship issues such as those stemming from finding new friends, significant others, parental attachment, and many more. The entire film is spent on these three not only re- discovering the important foundations of their friendship but also learning how to adapt them into their ever changing lives as independent "mature" adults.
The Night Before comes early in the first round of holiday based films of 2015. It may have been overshadowed on opening weekend due to the last installment of the Hunger Games franchise. But if you want a change of taste away from the scifi- adventure film, and are looking for something to do on Thanksgiving break, The Night Before will get you a some good laughs and help burn a few of those holiday calories off. The Night Before receives a sober 6.5/10.
The film itself already has an interesting trio at the helm. Seth Rogan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie, while not really fitting into the same typecast category, are all able to play well off of each other throughout the film. Along with other supporting actors such as Jillian Bell (Betsy), Lizzy Caplan (Diana), Mindy Kaling (Sarah), and Michael Shannon as Mr. Green, everyone in the film appeared to provide balanced chemistry amongst their interactions on screen. Not taking a good look at the full cast list beforehand also plays nicely as there are a few other Hollywood stars that are featured in some short parts.
As for the comedic aspect, you kind of know what to expect in a film with Seth Rogan. Yes there are plenty of vulgar, stupid, drug induced scenes in the film. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not, considering there are a few, I laughed so hard I nearly spilled my popcorn, scenes. Unfortunately, most of the really funny scenes consisted of the character struggling with their altered perception of reality, while the rest, consisting of minor chuckles, fell elsewhere.
There were some different cinematic choices that play into the overall comedic environment of the film. The use of camera phone points of view and the visual creation of perceived drug related hallucinations add a little more jingle. It does however fall short from being able to separate itself from the countless other holiday based comedies, although it does moderately deliver on its goal and doesn't seem to be too forceful.
The Night Before, while paying homage to some other Christmas films, seems like more than your old run of the mill illegal drug based comedy. While this may seem like the main focus of the film on the surface level, there are some underlying themes that can play into the true meaning of Christmas spirit. Isaac, Ethan, and Chris all struggle from some sort of relationship issues such as those stemming from finding new friends, significant others, parental attachment, and many more. The entire film is spent on these three not only re- discovering the important foundations of their friendship but also learning how to adapt them into their ever changing lives as independent "mature" adults.
The Night Before comes early in the first round of holiday based films of 2015. It may have been overshadowed on opening weekend due to the last installment of the Hunger Games franchise. But if you want a change of taste away from the scifi- adventure film, and are looking for something to do on Thanksgiving break, The Night Before will get you a some good laughs and help burn a few of those holiday calories off. The Night Before receives a sober 6.5/10.