Skip to main content

The Night Before review

The Night Before is a raunchy holiday romp without the sickly sweet filling

Crude, ridiculous, and just plain dumb fun.

At this point, irreverent holiday comedies have become their very own subset of the holiday film genre. From The Ref to Bad Santa, the offerings are as varied as they are plentiful, spanning the spectrum from dark satire to over-the-top raunchy hijinks.

The Night Before, the new comedy from Warm Bodies and 50/50 director Jonathan Levine, hails from the latter side of the genre and offers a holiday story that’s equal parts drug-addled escapade (a la The Hangover) and slapstick coming-of-age story that, like so many other examples of the genre, also manages to be fairly endearing amid all the toilet humor and racy gags.

Co-written and directed by Levine, The Night Before casts Seth Rogen (The Interview), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper), and Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) as a trio of childhood friends who have reunited every year on Christmas Eve to engage in all manner of debauchery. With Rogen’s character about to become a father, Mackie’s character about to become a bona fide celebrity, and Gordon-Levitt’s character still uncertain about where his life his headed, the three friends decide to bring an end to their annual tradition with one last, crazy night in New York City.

It would be easy to dismiss The Night Before as dumb fun, and in many ways that’s exactly what it is, but in this case that’s a good thing. As with other holiday films of its ilk, it playfully subverts (or outright ridicules) the usual, sappy-sweet holiday tropes and careens through the boundaries of so much of what is often held dear about the season. Everything is fair game, from sidewalk Santas and ugly sweaters to midnight Mass and Christmas marriage proposals, and Levine and his trio of leading men bounce from one ridiculous turn of events to the next on their merry adventure through the Big Apple.

In the grand old tradition of classic holiday movies, The Night Before also recruits some familiar faces to help tell its story. Miley Cyrus, James Franco, and Tracy Morgan all play brief parts in the characters’ journey from one end of the city to the other, but of the more substantial supporting roles, Oscar nominee Michael Shannon really stands out as a sketchy drug dealer who repeatedly gets pulled into the friends’ wild night — a role he plays to wonderfully creepy perfection.

It would be easy to dismiss The Night Before as dumb fun, and in many ways that’s exactly what it is, but in this case that’s a good thing.

To his credit, Levine does a nice job of maintaining momentum in the film from the moment the trio set out on their all-night holiday booze-and-drug-fest to the film’s somewhat shmaltzy final moments. Where other films might ease up on the jokes for the occasional reminder about the true meaning of the season, The Night Before rarely leans heavily on sentiment, and when it does, the moment often serves as the set-up for a joke. It’s a strategy that serves the film well by preventing it from becoming yet another sappy Christmas story masquerading as a comedy.

The trio of Rogen, Gordon-Levitt, and Mackie show relatively good chemistry as the film’s leading men, but never manage to seem quite as comfortable with each other as one would expect longtime friends to be. It’s telling that most of the film’s memorable moments involve the characters interacting with their supporting cast instead of each other, but to be fair, the film’s plot spends a surprising amount of time with the characters on solo adventures around the city.

Still, all three leads manage to carry their respective parts of the story along well, and the funny moments tend to be funnier when Rogen, Mackie, and Gordon-Levitt are bouncing off of each other both literally and figuratively.

Although The Night Before manages to pack a lot of “R”-rated drug humor and sex jokes into its 101-minute running time, it still strikes a balance between its holiday theme and its over-the-top humor. Despite its flaws, the film successfully delivers on the experience promised not only by its trailer but by all of the best examples of irreverent holiday comedies: poking fun at the traditions and tropes of holiday movies while still finding sincerity buried deep in the heart of all that sentiment and schmaltz.

Editors' Recommendations

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Where to watch Violent Night
David Harbour dressed as Santa Claus and tied up with Christmaslights, while John Leguizamo screams at him.

It's January, so you probably don't want to be reminded about the holidays. The presents have all been opened, the Christmas trees are in the garbage somewhere (we hope), and that pesky holiday weight is still not coming off.

Yet there's one good reason to revisit the holiday spirit, and that's Violent Night. The 2022 movie starring Stranger Things' David Harbour as a very bad Santa was an unexpected hit when it was released in movie theaters, grossing around $75 million worldwide off a modest $20 million budget. The action-comedy is set to start streaming soon, but when and where? DT has all the info you need to watch this new Christmas classic.
Where can you watch Violent Night?

Read more
New England Patriots vs. Arizona Cardinals live stream: Where to watch Monday Night Football
Logo of the Patriots and the Cardinals.

Are you ready for a Monday night party? It likely won't be an offensive showcase when the New England Patriots take on the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football this week. Both teams enter the contest on two-game losing streaks as they look to turn their respective seasons around.

The Patriots are on the bubble in the AFC playoff picture, as they are one game behind the seventh and final seed. The offense has been a major problem, as New England ranks 24th in yards per game. Arizona is still mathematically alive for the NFC playoffs despite being four games under .500. Like they say: "It ain't over 'til it's over."
When is the game between the Patriots and the Cardinals?
The game between the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals will start at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday, December 12. The game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The announcers for the game will be Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Lisa Salters. According to Fanduel, New England is favored by 1.5 points.
How to watch Patriots vs. Cardinals

Read more
Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Chargers live stream: where to watch Sunday Night Football
Logo for NBC's Sunday Night Football.

If you've been waiting all day for Sunday night, then you're about to be rewarded when the Miami Dolphins battle the Los Angeles Chargers. This AFC showdown will have huge playoff implications. As it stands, the Dolphins are sixth in the AFC while the Chargers sit in ninth place on the outside looking in.

Besides playoff implications, the game provides an interesting matchup between quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert. In the 2020 NFL draft, Tagovailoa went fifth overall to the Dolphins and Herbert went sixth to the Chargers. Expect the fanbase of the winning team to be bragging about their quarterback on social media when the game ends.
When is the game between the Dolphins and the Chargers?
The game between the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Chargers will start at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 11. The game will be played at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The announcers for the game will be Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, and Melissa Stark. According to Fanduel, Miami is favored by 3.5 points.
How to watch Dolphins vs. Chargers

Read more