Sameer Callahan
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Kirandeep Yoder
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
"The Night Before" turned out to be an adequate comedy, and it managed to live up to whatever expectations that I had to it.This is in, all honesty, a very generic comedy that uses a formula that has been used countless of times in other similar comedies, so don't expect anything new or innovating here.The cast was actually the best part of the movie, and I must admit that despite the fact that I am not much of a fan of Seth Rogen in any way, then he was actually the one who stood out the most in the movie because of the drug scenes, which were also the highlights of the entire movie. And Mindy Kaling were also standing out with her performance, just a shame that she had limited time on the screen. There were also some nice cameo performances by the likes of James Franco, Miley Cyrus and Tracy Morgan. And it definitely was a shame that James Franco didn't have more on-screen time, because he was hilarious here."The Night Before" is a very run-of-the-mill comedy. So it is good enough for a single viewing, but it hardly has enough contents to become a Christmas classic.
The Movie Diorama
Really? Why? Why must we have these every year? We've seen one, therefore we've seen them all. This time around we follow three best friends as they party on the night before Christmas. That is it. There is no more context. Sure some weed is stolen, phones are swapped and a karaoke session is performed...but it's just a party. Christmas is a time of reflection. It is a holiday to be spent with loved ones, cherishing all the little idiosyncrasies that friends and family share. But apparently in Hollywood, Christmas is about snorting cocaine, consuming shrooms and fulfilling a joyous night with plenty of regret. However, before you discard me as the local Grinch, I did find this watchable. The narrative does include your typical comedic structure. Main characters have fun, something happens, they fight, they make up. But it's executed in a way where it feels, dare I say, intelligent? No no, I take that back. Let's face it, the cameos and film references is what makes this work. James Franco flirting with Seth Rogen's character is somewhat humorous. Who can top that? Miley Cyrus. You bring in the 'good girl gone bad' popstar to sing "Wrecking Ball". That's how you do it. I actually found her funny. *sigh*...what's wrong with me? The cast was somewhat interesting. Seth Rogen having the most experience steals the limelight, Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were just there as a side show. And why oh why oh why is Michael Shannon in this? Why? He's better than this (although he played his role with conviction). The countless film references were horrendous. Die Hard, Home Alone, Big and even The Great Gatsby. Sure this comedy felt Christmassy, but it's just another generic party-a-thon. I feel like I've questioned myself as a film reviewer, why do I put myself through these when I know I won't like them? I guess it's that small glimmer of hope that it might actually break tradition and be memorable. Nope, this isn't it.
Floated2
The Night Before seemed to have came and went when released during the holidays in 2015. Not much of advertised was for this film and some of the trailers were misleading. Nowadays having rarely many R- rated Christmas films, this was certainly going to be a flop, and it was and is somewhat forgotten. To the film, the comedy involves around the chemistry of its leads, which were good but the overall gags and jokes were many misses. Some decent laughs but overall many of the jokes felt forced and weren't that funny or clever. The Night Before starts off slow then gets better and more consistent after midway through (around the big party scene with Hollywood cameos). Although predictable, in the end the film does show its softer side as it comes together and proves how good friendship and loyalty are towards everything.
Movie_Muse_Reviews
If cinema in the 21st century has failed in any one regard, it's delivering new classic Christmas movies. Sure, there's a point to be made that great Christmas movies are older movies because they should evoke nostalgia, but nostalgia is relative. "The Night Before" won't be recognized as a new classic, but in the era of raunchier, R-rated Christmas films we somehow find ourselves in, at least it evokes the "spirit of Christmas" without falling all over itself.Like every great Christmas creation, "The Night Before" is of course made by Jews. Jonathan Levine, who previously brought Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen together to make the severely underrated cancer comedy "50/50," gets credited with the story and the screenplay (co-written with Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir and Evan Goldberg). The reason this makes sense is because only a Jewish person would have experience with Christmas Eve debauchery, seeing as everyone else is spending time with family.So it makes sense that the story follows a 30-something bachelor in Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) who loves Christmas but who lost his parents as a teenager and therefore has nowhere to go. His friends Isaac and Chris' (Rogen and Anthony Mackie) effort to spend time with him therefore morphed into a Christmas Eve tradition with a mix of activities from PG to Hard R. Only now, Isaac is about to be a dad and Chris is a star football player, so their tradition (and relationships) are at a crossroads. "The Night Before" is as much about sorting through the stark realities of being in one's thirties as it is about being a Christmas stoner comedy and that's where Levine excels. His films have always marketed as comedy but remain invested in actual human issues. And that's not saying that the script haphazardly throws in feel-good Christmas themes or wedges in other values; he actually commits screen time to those themes and values and they go deeper than the self-evident, surface level.All that being as it may, "The Night Before" cares foremost about its commitment to being a comedy. What separates it from other films that have attempted the same is the writing and the cast. Most of these "epic night out" movies force and fabricate the most outlandish comedic situations imaginable and end up losing sight of reality. And while Michael Shannon playing a weed dealer with abilities out of "A Christmas Carol" can't exactly claim to be in touch, a talent like Shannon understands exactly how to play that kind of scene to underscore the value of him being there aside from being a hilarious cameo.Another good example: all these movies have trippy drug scenes. The difference with "The Night Before" is that going nuts on drugs is written into Rogen's character. His pregnant wife gifts him a mystery box of substances as a pre-fatherhood "thank you" and the line between recreational use and trying to feel better about his underlying fears is the essence of his character arc. Him going crazy therefore isn't condensed into one wild situational comedy sequence. "The Night Before" could easily be reduced to a dumb Christmas-themed guys' night out stoner comedy, or it could be looked at more closely as a film about aging out of that stuff through the lens of Christmas spirit. It works on both those levels, and that's kind of a nice gift. If it had more originality to it, it would probably rise above its above-average comedy status into something more memorable, but in the crowd of Christmas movies that tried to do the same thing, it stands a bit taller.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more
