Stellar cast boosts stoner comedy ‘Night Before’
Starring Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jillian Bell, Mindy Kaling, Lizzy Caplan; directed by Jonathan Levine; 101 minutes; R for drug use and language throughout, some strong sexual content and graphic nudity.
Boosted by its stellar cast and playful take on “A Christmas Carol,” “The Night Before” is a coming-of-age stoner-buddy comedy laced with warm holiday cheer.
Make no mistake: It’s still a silly romp thick with dope smoke and dumb jokes, but the performances are solid, and there’s some surprising sentiment behind the wacky antics.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie play best friends bidding farewell to their 10-year tradition of partying together on Christmas Eve. Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) is determined to make their last night epic, especially since Chris (Mackie) is on a hot streak in his football career and Isaac (Rogen) is expecting a baby.
Isaac’s wife, Betsy (the hilarious and soon-to-be everywhere Jillian Bell), gives her husband a special gift in honor of his last Christmas Eve with his pals: a box filled with “every single drug in the whole world.” Meanwhile, Ethan surprises his friends with tickets to the hottest party in town, the one they’ve dreamed of getting into since their holiday tradition began.
But first, Chris needs to pick up some weed. (Somehow, Betsy left that out of the box.)
Written and directed by Jonathan Levine (“50/50,” “The Wackness”), “The Night Before” is a millennial coming-of-age story cloaked in a cloud of smoke. It’s a druggie comedy, to be sure, but a sweetness about vulnerability, honesty, friends and family cuts through the haze.
Sandy Cohen, The Associated Press
Carol Gallegos, 56, fled the scene in the minivan and later triggered a four-car wreck, police said. (Courtesy CSPD)
This photo provided by Columbia Pictures shows, Seth Rogen, left, as Isaac, and Michael Shannon as Mr. Green, in Columbia Pictures’ “The Night Before.” The movie opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 20, 2015. (Sarah Shatz/Columbia Pictures via AP)
This photo provided by Columbia Pictures shows, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Ethan in Columbia Pictures’ “The Night Before.” The movie opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 20, 2015. (Sarah Shatz/Columbia Pictures via AP)
This photo provided by Columbia Pictures shows, Mindy Kaling, left, as Sarah, and Lizzy Caplan as Diana, in Columbia Pictures’ “The Night Before.” The movie opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 20, 2015. (Sarah Shatz/Columbia Pictures via AP)
This photo provided by Columbia Pictures shows, Anthony Mackie as Chris Roberts in Columbia Pictures’ “The Night Before.” The movie opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 20, 2015. (Sarah Shatz/Columbia Pictures via AP)
