'The Night Before' A Review

The Night Before is a Christmas comedy about three friends who spend Christmas Eve partying and hanging out, a tradition started when Ethan's(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) parents were killed. Fourteen years in the friends have started to out grow their tradition Issac(Seth Rogen) is married, has a steady job, and a baby on the way. Chris(Anthony Mackie) is a successful professional athlete with a late blooming career(due to steroids, which feels a bit unnecessary) and burgeoning celebrity. Ethan is the odd man out, a perpetual Peter Pan who has just ruined a long term relationship with Diana(Lizzy Caplan) due to a refusal to meet her parents. After fourteen years the friends will have one final blow out and then put the tradition to rest.

Although JGL is the presumable protagonist Rogen almost naturally takes center stage, either because his performance is more believable or his story line more compelling, JGL is relegated to the sidelines by Rogen's energy and Mackie's casual compelling charm. Mackie's grace and comfort onscreen is inherently watchable no matter what the subject matter, he lands his jokes, he has heart, and the steroid subplot used to give him a "journey" is forced but not distractingly so. Jillian Bell as Issac's wife Betsy and Michael Shannon as weed-dealer/guardian-angel Mr. Green are the other two clear stand outs. Bell is funny, sweet, and supportive, an equal, a welcome departure from the over-bearing-shrew troupe, Shannon is going full on Cage in some bizarre but delightful amalgamation of stoner sage and Clarence from It's A Wonderful Life.

The soundtrack is awesome with a couple musical numbers in the film(a Big homage, Run–D.M.C. karaoke, and Miley Cyrus performing a modified Wrecking Ball). There is plenty of laughs and enough heart to satisfy everyone but the real pleasure of the film comes from its numerous and exciting surprises. A parade of fully flushed out supporting characters(most notably Ilana Glazer as the manic Grinch) bring an incredible amount of energy and momentum to a film that already has three charismatic leads.

Enough of the spirit to warm the heart, enough gags to flush the cheeks, a future cult classic.

See It.