In New York City for their annual tradition of Christmas Eve debauchery, three lifelong best friends set out to find the Holy Grail of Christmas parties since their yearly reunion might be coming t...
The Night Before follows the current tradition of a Christmas party comedy, except this one is just as bland as the others. Really? Why? Why must we have these every year? We've seen one, therefore we've seen them all. This time around we follow three best friends as they party on the night before Christmas. That is it. There is no more context. Sure some weed is stolen, phones are swapped and a karaoke session is performed...but it's just a party. Christmas is a time of reflection. It is a holiday to be spent with loved ones, cherishing all the little idiosyncrasies that friends and family share. But apparently in Hollywood, Christmas is about snorting cocaine, consuming shrooms and fulfilling a joyous night with plenty of regret. However, before you discard me as the local Grinch, I did find this watchable. The narrative does include your typical comedic structure. Main characters have fun, something happens, they fight, they make up. But it's executed in a way where it feels, dare I say, intelligent? No no, I take that back. Let's face it, the cameos and film references is what makes this work. James Franco flirting with Seth Rogen's character is somewhat humorous. Who can top that? Miley Cyrus. You bring in the 'good girl gone bad' popstar to sing "Wrecking Ball". That's how you do it. I actually found her funny. *sigh*...what's wrong with me? The cast was somewhat interesting. Seth Rogen having the most experience steals the limelight, Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were just there as a side show. And why oh why oh why is Michael Shannon in this? Why? He's better than this (although he played his role with conviction). The countless film references were horrendous. Die Hard, Home Alone, Big and even The Great Gatsby. Sure this comedy felt Christmassy, but it's just another generic party-a-thon. I feel like I've questioned myself as a film reviewer, why do I put myself through these when I know I won't like them? I guess it's that small glimmer of hope that it might actually break tradition and be memorable. Nope, this isn't it.
