The Night Before This Is How You Do A Christmas Comedy With Drugs

After getting a pretty terrible Christmas movie last week with Love the Coopers, now we’ve got a pretty funny one with The Night Before. Granted, they are very different movies – the former wants to be a “family” comedy/drama/romance, while the latter is an adult stoner comedy – but they’re both centered around the holidays, and both predictably preach about the importance of family, particularly around Christmastime, because if you don’t have anyone with whom to spend the holidays, your life has basically been ruined, apparently. The Night Before stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie, the final of whom also appeared in Love the Coopers, although in less important (and more interesting and therefore wasted) role. The basic plot here is that Levitt’s character lost his parents before Christmas over a decade ago, and Rogen and Mackie have spent Christmas Eve with him every year since. But they’re grown up now, so this is going to be the final time. Fortunately, they have tickets to an exclusive party and are equipped with an extraordinarily large amount of drugs, so they’re ready for the night of their lives. Every year there are only a few comedies that are genuinely funny, and The Night Before is one of the funniest of 2015. Hardly a scene goes by without a big laugh – and usually more than one – with several managing to sustain laughter for literal minutes straight. Even without all of the other good elements, the number of laughs contained in this movie would make it worthwhile. The Night Before has been directed by Jonathan Levine, who also directed 50/50, which also starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. Given that 50/50 contains one of only a couple of good Seth Rogen performances – and The Night Before is another one – it appears that Levine is someone who understands how to get the best out of the actor. Rogen is the standout performer in this film, easily getting the biggest laughs as well as the largest number. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, by design, isn’t anywhere near as funny. Anthony Mackie gets a decent amount of laughs, too. There are a good number of supporting cast members who bring lots of comedy, too: Jillian Bell, Michael Shannon, Mindy Kaling, Ilana Glazer, Miley Cyrus, and a cameo that you couldn’t bribe me to spoil. While The Night Before may not be the funniest Christmas movie of all time, it’s up there, particularly if you’re a fan of stoner comedies. With an outstanding number of laughs, interesting and somewhat deep characters, numerous opportunities for both the audience and the characters to learn and grown, fantastic supporting work, and a plot that gives us more to do than just wander from place to place, The Night Before is pretty fantastic. It’s too schmaltzy, but it’s a Christmas movie, so that’s almost forgivable. It makes up for it with the amount of jokes it contains, anyway. Bottom Line: A funny movie with a good plot and interesting characters, The Night Before brings some holiday joy to cinema screens. Recommendation: If you’re a fan of stoner comedies, or want a Christmas movie with a bit of an edge (and a soft center), The Night Before is worth checking out. [rating=3.5]