THE NIGHT BEFORE
US, 2015, 101 minutes, Colour.
Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Jillian Bell, Lizzie Kaplan, Michael Shannon, Ilana Glazer, Aaron Hill, Tracy Morgan.
Directed by Jonathan Levine.
Might be best to start this review by indicating that it is a variation on the classic It’s a Wonderful Life, though American style of living has vastly and openly altered in many areas from that of small towns in upstate New York in the 1940s. This reference is to indicate that there are some redeeming features in The Night Before, despite initial suspicions to the contrary.
This is one of those raucous, crass, drug-filled American comedies that are so popular in recent years, especially with people like Seth Rogen in the cast. But, if you are not responding to this kind of comedy, and you have the patience, there is some resolution part of the way through and right at the end. The thing is with these crass comedies is that they have their cake and eat it as well: they enjoy indulging in all the raucous aspects of the screenplay, have no holds barred on the coarse and explicit language, and have no problems in their central characters reliance on drugs and hallucinating trips. But the audience which enjoys all this may have quite some difficulties with the ending where there is redemption all-round, confessions of wrongdoing, giving up drugs, wanting genuine romance, extolling marriage and babies, put off by the highly moralising message at the end.
It is the night before Christmas, and nobody is really asleep. We have seen three friends in 2003 consoling one of them, Ethan (Joseph Gordon- Levitt) on the death of his parents in a car crash. One of the friends is Isaac (Seth Rogen) and the other Chris (Anthony Mackie). They have a great desire by 2008 to go to the Christmas Eve Nutcracker Ball but cannot find where it is held. Come to 2015. Ethan has no job and is supplying as an elf carrying the entrees at a Christmas social. Isaac is married to Betsy (Jillian Bell) and they are expecting. Chris has become a champion sportsmen – though relying on steroids. They are still friends but this is to be their last traditional night before celebration.
Whatever the providence, Ethan finds and takes three tickets to the Nutcracker Ball and goes to find his friends. For some reason, Betsy gives a Christmas present to Isaac of some top drugs – which sets him up for the night, on a vivid trip which includes going to midnight mass, getting sick in the aisle, to claiming that the Jews did not crucify Jesus, (a reminder that Christianity is far more tolerant about religious jokes than some other religions we might think of). Chris wants to buy drugs for a white sportsmen (Chris is African American) and they set off to meet the dealer who supplied them when they are in high school. This is Mr Green who turns out to be Michael Shannon, supplying all the drugs, but also giving them a pipe to smoke which projects them into the future, some grim pictures of what they might be, which helps them eventually to change their ways. Michael Shannon is generally an unsettling screen presence and is so here – until we realise who he is and what he is doing (It’s a Wonderful Life), confirmed, as was Clarence, in getting his wings.
A lot of the time is spent in stupid shenanigans, Chris and the sexual encounter with a tough girl who steals his stash and whom he chases through the city; Isaac and his hallucinations; and Ethan wanting to find Diana (Lizzie Kaplan) in order to propose to her - which he does while singing with Miley Cyrus (and James Franco turning up for the Ball). He later has to do a more genuine proposal.
There is also an interlude where they go to dinner at Chris’s mother’s house – she has a shrine to her champion son, wanting him to go to church, but giving them the leftovers from the meal to take to the homeless down the street.
For those devoted to this kind of raucous comedy, no problems. For those not devoted to this kind of raucous comedy, probably best to let it pass. But, if for some reason those unfavourable are watching, there is reconciliation, confession, and firm purposes of amendment by the end of the film – and everyone sitting happily around the Christmas table.
