By Christina Root
Staff Writer
Director Jonathan Levine rises to moderate success with his Christmastime comedy, “The Night Before.”
The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Ethan, who celebrates Christmas Eve with an annual night filled with drunken debauchery, with his two childhood friends Isaac and Chris, played by Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie.
“The Night Before” celebrates the last annual Christmas Eve reunion between the three friends. Isaac has married and has a child on the way and Chris has become a successful professional football player.
In celebration of their final Christmas Eve together, Ethan presents his friends with tickets to the coveted Nutcracker Ball, a secret party at an undisclosed location in New York City.
The movie provides viewers with the quintessential Seth Rogen comedy act, raunchy one-liners, illicit drug usage and emotional encounters between friends. The jokes are also typical of a Seth Rogen movie: shocking and laugh-out-loud funny in the moment, but easily forgotten afterwards.
Although the entire picture was drenched in comedy, the hilarity only amplified the holiday spirit. The subplots were executed carefully throughout the movie, sometimes so captivating that they outshined the main story.
The major plotline was focused on Gordon-Levitt’s character, but was often upstaged by Rogen and many minor characters, particularly James Franco and Mindy Kaling.
A surprise performance from Miley Cyrus provided needed shock value, but drove viewers away from the story. Gordon-Levitt did, however, give a heartfelt and genuine performance, but its emotional significance was no match for the fast-paced humor.
The lack of chemistry between many of the actors does not go unnoticed, but a sparkling performance by Rogen distracts the viewer.
“The Night Before” is not exactly classic Christmas material, partially due to its limited audience, but it offers enough laughs to give comedy lovers something other than “Elf” to enjoy for the holiday season.
rootcm14@bonaventure.edu
