Directed by Jonathan Levine, “The Night Before” proves the stoner comedy and the holiday movie to be a surprisingly wonderful combination. An instant classic, the film features plenty of nice characters doing very naughty things to celebrate the season. But fortunately for audiences, this updated twist on seasonal cheer isn’t a lump of coal, with a warm-hearted message to be found amongst all the Christmas Eve mischief.
For 10 years, Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has celebrated Christmas with his best friends Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie), getting drunk and stoned, eating Chinese food, and singing karaoke. What started as a way to cheer him up after his parents’ death has turned into tradition, but while his friends have grown up and moved on, Ethan hasn’t. With a baby on the way for Isaac and newfound football fame for Chris, this is their “last Christmas” and Ethan’s got designs on a mythic, mysterious party, The Nutcracker Ball.
For all the drinking, drugging, sexing, swearing, and sucker-punching, “The Night Before” works because its heart is in the right place — you might even say that its heart grew three sizes that night. It’s a story about how friends are your family, and even the most imperfect of Christmases can be great when you’re with the ones you love.
