The Night Before (2015)

"The Night Before" stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, and Lizzy Caplan. Released on November 20, 2015, the film has three childhood friends celebrating their last Christmas together before they reach adulthood.

The film is directed by Jonathan Levine, who also directed films such as The Wackness, 50/50, and Warm Bodies. Rogen and Gordon-Levitt were fresh off the heels of this year's potential Oscar contenders, Steve Jobs and The Walk, so they decided to star in an R-rated Christmas comedy together. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who produced the film together, nearly escaped the catastrophe that was last year's The Interview, which was pretty disappointing to me, so they decided to make up their mistakes by adding a little holiday joy with this recent raunchy comedy. The result is actually quite good.

Pros:
The cast delivered some good performances.

Great chemistry between the three main actors.

Most of the jokes provide hysterical results.

Solid blend between raunchy humor and holiday spirit.

Supportive themes about friendship.

Decent screenplay.

Cons:
Weak and predictable storyline.
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The humor can be a bit offensive for some people.

Final thoughts: While not as memorable as the holiday classics nor as insanely clever as Rogen and Goldberg's other works like This is the End, "The Night Before" is a raunchy holiday treat that blends well together like milk and cookies on Christmas Eve night. This is also a big improvement over the disappointing Interview while expressing Rogen's talent as both a comedian and an actor. If you're in a mood for a holiday film that isn't full of family attire, this may be for you.

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