The Night Before
We might have some classic Christmas films that are always watched this time of year but what really was the last great Christmas film?
The Night Before might be marketed as a Christmas film but I will compare it more to Less Than Zero. Less Than Zero was a holiday themed film and a very heavy drama about drug addiction with Robert Downey and 80's star Andrew McCarthy. While on a more happy note, The Night Before follows around Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Issac (Seth Rogan), and Chris (Anthony Mackie), who are three friends known to spend every Christmas Eve together since 2001 after the death of Ethan's parents. This is likely the last Christmas Eve they will spend together due to changes in their lives. This Christmas Eve is quite wild among them with many lessons learned as they attend a party called the Nutcracker Ball.
The Night Before can be compared to Less Than Zero because of Issac and drug dealer Mr. Greene (Michael Shannon). Known to be a stoner himself, Seth Rogan plays the character so raw and it is very risky to have a main character be high on numerous drugs throughout most of the film like he is. Mr. Greene is more of a spiritual stoner who can create some pretty fun Christmas miracles and at times pulls this film together at important moments. The appealing characters continue when you have likable actors Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon -Levitt playing lead roles. The lead characters come together very well in this movie. The only downfall with the cast is Lizzy Caplan playing Diane; Ethan's love interest. This character is given nothing to do. Especially considering she's played by Lizzy Caplan who has a lot of talent, it's even more disappointing.
With much more adult content here, The Night Before could be next compared to Adventures in Babysitting from 1987. Like Adventures in Babysitting, The Night Before is set in one night with a lot of running around New York City and crazy scenarios. Still, The Night Before has a much more far-fetched plot that you really just have to go with. I will say that it is quite original for Christmas themes and drug vibes to be thrown together into one plot like we have here.
The Night Before is a stoner film but it brings so much more to the table. Coming from director Jonathan Levine who already has a good resume with films like Warm Bodies and 50/50, this just adds to it. A trippy film with a lot of positives.
