The holidays are upon us. Check out Mike's early review of The Night Before.
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| "We are your saviors. Bow down." |
Director Jonathan Levine's 2011 film 50/50 brilliantly
blended raunchy humor into the heartfelt tale of a young man's battle with
cancer. This year Levine has reunited
with his 50/50 stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, along with
Anthony Mackie (8 Mile), to make the seasonal comedy The Night Before. The trailers naturally played up all of the
hilarious moments in the film, but fans of 50/50 who were hoping that it
would retain that film's strong emotional core will definitely not be
disappointed.
Fourteen years ago Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) lost his parents in
a car crash, and has spent nearly every Christmas since with his best friends
Isaac and Chris (Rogen and Mackie).
Though Isaac has a baby on the way and Chris is enjoying a suddenly
resurgent football career, a Christmas miracle of sorts brings them back
together for one last night of debauchery.
"One last wild night" is indeed a popular premise in R-rated
comedies, but The Night Before's surprisingly grounded, believable
characters and situations are what really make the film work on a different
level than similar-themed films. Even
with all of the debauchery on screen, there is a very real emotional bond
between these characters that is really what fuels the events of The Night
Before.
The overall quality of The Night Before is truly
impressive. Each member of the excellent
cast brings their A-game, and each performance is spot-on, from the leads on
down to the numerous cameo players (keep an eye out for Michael Shannon). The female roles are particularly well-done,
with Lizzie Kaplan and Jillian Bell being the standouts. The smart, crisp writing effortlessly
balances the hilarity with some very strong, real emotions and makes it all
look insanely easy. Everything comes
together flawlessly into one fun, well-paced, wildly entertaining movie.
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| "Man!!! All I wanted was a hooker in a box!" |
The Night Before is a heartwarming tale about the
everlasting bonds of friendship that's filled with holiday spirit. It's also a hilarious, raunchy, hard R-rated
drug-fueled romp like we've come to expect from Seth Rogen and his
buddies. The movie proudly wears its
ugly holiday sweater, showing its ever-present Christmas spirit while making
you laugh at the insanity of it all, and of life in general. The Night Before reverently pays
tribute to decades of Christmas classics that came before it, while making an
impressive case to be included among them.
It is not only easily the season's funniest movie, but one of the best
comedies released this year, and the best holiday comedy since National
Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The
Night Before is a gift to movie lovers that should keep on giving in the
years to come.
Score
-Mike Stec
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