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Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are back to bring us some intoxicated fun, lathered in bromance. This time however the accompanying cast are Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie. The question is, as usual, can the movie overcome being too self-congratulatory about what it is, or can it branch out and be more versatile. It’s why 50/50 and NEIGHBORS succeed so much farther than PINEAPPLE EXPRESS and THE INTERVIEW, though the latter aren’t bad movies, the newer cast members elevate this one. Luckily, 50/50 director Jonathan Levine is at the helm again for THE NIGHT BEFORE, with Gordon-Levitt again as his ace in the hole.
For fourteen years, Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) have partied hard on Christmas Eve, as a tradition ever since a drunk driver left Ethan orphaned his senior year of high school. As the years passed, they remained best friends, but since Isaac is getting ready to start a family and Chris has an NFL career that’s blossoming, they have decided that this will be the last year they party on Christmas Eve. Ethan, however, has not changed as much, and is still searching for the famed king of all parties: The Nutcracka ball. This year he has found tickets. So on their last night out, our trio is armed with their golden tickets, a box o’ drugs, and personal challenges to overcome.
All three give funny performances, with Mackie obviously being the newest and weakest of the trio, but still reacting well to the others’ chemistry, obvious in a nice scene where the three are rapping and playing an over-sized piano BIG style. The supporting cast of the film also deserves applause, with Lizzy Caplan establishing herself as a member of the team returning as Ethan’s love interest. Mindy Kaling, Jillian Bell, and Ilana Glazer also arrive to balance the male bravado of the movie. The funniest character in the story is undoubtedly “Mr. Green”, Michael Shannon’s guardian angel weed dealer. He provides each one with the weed of Christmas past, present, and future throughout the movie, and somewhere Charles Dickens rolls over (laughing) in his grave.
Despite the praise, the film is no 21 JUMP STREET… and if you haven’t been a fan of Goldberg’s work in the past, well, this one might actually change your mind due to the pleasant lack of raunchiness, though it still isn’t a huge departure. Not every joke lands as much as the movie expects, with Mackie only having a couple of good lines. Rogen on the other hand makes up for it, as the film decides to have him go on a bad trip that lasts the entire running time, nearly foregoing his character for all the crazy things they do with him. Overall, THE NIGHT BEFORE doesn’t provide too many giant laughs, but it’s still very funny and will leave you with a smile on your face.
