Back in July, Columbia Pictures released an impressively NSFW trailer for The Night Before, the studio’s upcoming holiday comedy starring Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie as a trio of friends who want to cap off their annual Christmas Eve reunion with one final night of debauchery.
For those who might not have seen the red-band, restricted trailer for any number of reasons, the studio has now compiled a far more safe-for-work preview that still manages to capture the film’s irreverent tone — sans obscenities, nudity, and overt drug use, of course.
Directed by Warm Bodies and 50/50 filmmaker Jonathan Levine, the film features the aforementioned trio reuniting for one final send-off to the tradition that’s brought them together every year on December 24. In search of the greatest holiday party New York City has to offer, the friends set off to find the “Nutcracka Ball” before letting adulthood bring an end to their Christmas Eve ritual.
Along with Rogen, Mackie, and Gordon-Levitt, the film stars Lizzy Caplan (The Interview), Jillian Bell (Bridesmaids), Michael Shannon (Man of Steel), Mindy Kaling (The Office), and Lorraine Toussaint (Orange is the New Black). Miley Cyrus and Kanye West are both expected to make cameos in the film playing themselves. The film is based on a script by Levine, Evan Goldberg (Superbad), and Comedy Central Roast of James Franco writers Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir.
Filming on The Night Before took place all around New York City — including several shots at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree — and after originally being scheduled for a December 11 release in theaters, the film’s premiere was moved up two weeks in order to obtain maximum exposure to the holiday season crowds. The Night Before still hasn’t received an official rating, but it will now debut in theaters November 25.
