I laughed—loudly out loud. I snorted. I groaned. I rolled my eyes. I exclaimed loudly—more than once. Yes, that is the kind of comedy The Night Before is. And it’s a wonderful respite in a season of otherwise (for me) heavy movies. (‘Tis okay. I do this to myself.)
Seth Rogan did not disappoint. And Joseph Gordan-Levitt charms like always. Anthony Mackie is downright funny. Add to that bang-up cast a wonderfully different way of seeing Lizzy Caplan, whom I’ve been watching as Virginia Johnson while I catch up on Showtime’s Masters of Sex, and this cast is just what was needed for a raunchy romp around New York City about the night before Christmas.
But the movie is more than an inappropriate adult comedy following three men as they, each now involved in his own adult life, wrap up their tradition of spending the night before Christmas together every year with debauchery and humor. It’s also tender in places. And when you think it’s going to go cliché, it takes another turn and avoids the easy piece, instead wrapping up gently.
The timing is great. The lines are funny. The delivery works well. If you need some good fun (but notice I did not say “clean”), spend a night with The Night Before.