Review of Opening Night (2017) by Kevin P — 20 Jan 2018

Strengths: Everything taking place on one night allowed the film to move at a quick pace. That, combined with some fun performances, made this work. Topher Grace (Nick) and Alona Tal (Chloe) are good, while Taye Diggs (Malcolm) and JC Chasez (Himself) steal the show. JC especially did a wonderful job making fun of himself. The movie itself did well in poking fun at the musical genre in general. Some of the highlights include a sing-off between Diggs and Lesli Margherita (Brandy), Grace finally breaking into song and every single thing Chasez did.

Weaknesses: Every character is given something to do, they're just not all very good. Anne Heche (Brooke) feels kind of wasted and her side storyline isn't very funny. Considering she gets concussed and given ecstasy, there were missed opportunities for comedy there. Rob Riggle (Goldmeyer) is usually over the top, but it's a bit much here and it becomes campy. There was also a side story of a character needing to do drugs before performing. It gave only mild laughs and didn't add much to the overall film. Lastly, though I enjoyed the dynamic between Chloe and Nick, it ended on quite the clichéd note and didn't really feel that earned. Maybe a bit more time could've been spent on that relationship than some of the lesser side plots.

Overall: I liked this a lot more than expected. Most of the cast perform well, with standout performances from Digg and Chasez. Some of the side plots missed the mark, and a few things become cliché near the end, but this was a fun ride.