Review of The Night Before (2015) by Harry W — 08 Feb 2016

Teaming up Joseph Gordon-Levitt with Seth Rogen, The Night Before sounded like a promising comedy.

Catering above my expectations, The Night Before ended up fulfilling hopes I wasn't on the search for. Made in a similar style to This is the End (2013), The Night Before is a comedy put together with a loose story and a lot of juvenile gags made funny by the extensively talented cast putting them to use. This time around, the film is a Christmas special which works to capitalise on the spirit of the occasion while standing out for its ridiculous nature at the same time.

Modern Christmas classics are hard to come by since the themes always end up being overly familiar, so for one to stand out there has to be serious originality at heart. As a large fan of the contemporary style of humour popular in Seth Rogen films, The Night Before is an example of a film made for people like me. In terms of story, the film doesn't pretend like it has any direct motive. It is aware that the meanings and messages it has to reach will be cliche and predictable so it spends more time focused on the most ridiculous way to get there. It is so effective on its path that it ends up being the funniest Christmas movie since A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011). The cross between aimless over-the-top crude humour and familiar Christmas conventions provides an entertaining supplement to the lack of story in The Night Before. Interestingly enough, the lack of a story also means that the feature is unpredictable. The style of comedy and level of surrealism in the film keeps stretching and coming from unexpected directions, pushing the boundaries on reality and intensifying the level of humour even more.

The Night Before is the most original Christmas movie I've seen in a long time simply because it is knows what audiences demand, and yet it maintains its Christmats spirit at the same time. Since I'm not a big fan of the generic sentimentalities of Christmas movies it was refreshing to see them buried sporadically beneath a collection of crude gags. The screenplay even makes occasional references to other popular Chistmas movies, with particularly the references to Home Alone (1990) being the funniest examples of this. The nature of the humour proves to range from clever quips of the script to over-the-top visual gags and even to the simple gimmicks of having particular actors cast. Even though the story is a very loosely written one, the fact that it has enough meaning to keep things compelling is enough to bolster the narrative while the actors work to keep things moving along at an effectively fast pace with passion for making audiences laugh. The Night Before may not be perfect, but the dedicated performances of the cast help to ensure that there is rarely a dull moment on screen.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an engaging lead. One of Hollywood's most prominent actors within many genres, Joseph-Gordon Levitt has been continuously climbing the charts with his increasing credibility for extensive dramatic talent. In The Night Before he brings that along, but also remembers to embrace his comedic roots. Full of fun life the entire time, Joseph-Gordon Levitt engages the dramatic edge of Ethan Miller's own personal troubles and the intense conversations he shares with friends, but he never stops having fun in the part and keeps life flowing through the role every step of the way. Joseph Gordon-Levitt passionately engages with the script in The Night Before without any concern for how ridiculous the humour is and brings it to life.

But Seth Rogen is the funniest. There is little more that Seth Rogen can offer in The Night Before since he plays the same basic character he always does, and that's exactly what's perfect about him. Seth Rogen pursues his same sense of humour in simply a different context, and in a series of drug trips, religious jokes and moments of imitating Macaulay Culkin, he keeps fans laughing nonstop. His passion for physical humour is relentless and his line delivery ranges from subtle to heavy, and the constant variety keeps viewers guessing in a fit of laughter. Seth Rogen has lost none of his hilarious charm, and The Night Before is one of his funniest performances in recent years.

Anthony Mackie is a newcomer among the contemporary comedy scene, but teaming up with Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Seth Rogen proves no challenge. He does his part and maintains a hilarious attitude throughout every situation due to his undying energy. There is no shortage of spirit in his performance since his passion flows through him naturally in every scene and he manages to push the limits on going over the top without every having to rely on a racial stereotype to do so. Anthony Mackie jumps on the comedy bandwagon and never lets go in The Night Before, keeping audiences engaged in the humour at all times.

Michael Shannon is a perfect addition to the cast of The Night Before. In his own collection of sporadic scenes, Michael Shannon delivers his own hilarious subplot with relentless dedication to the character. The very idea of it is hilarious, and the execution is just grand. The entire collection of celebrity cameos is just brilliant. James Franco is an absolutely necessary presence due to his many collaborations with Seth Rogen and the fact instead of being on for too long like it was in The Interview (2014) it is confined to a brief period of time where every second is to be treasured.

Mindy Kaling and Tracy Morgan also make hilarious appearances, and even Miley Cyrus is an engaging presence simply because the amount she satirizes herself in her cameo and caters to fans with a varied performance of "Wrecking Ball".

The Night Before offers little in the way of plot development, but it's endless barrage of jokes of all kinds combined with the talents of an ecstatic cast make it a truly hilarious experience.