Review: “The Night Before” is worth seeing this holiday season

Ethan, Isaac and Chris have been inseparable since childhood. For the past decade they have spent every Christmas Eve together, and it has become an annual holiday tradition.

They have created many crazy holiday memories, but there has been one thing they have never been able to do; until this year. Ethan (played by Joseph Gordon- Levitt) finds tickets to the Nutcracker Ball, which considered to be the Holy Grail of Christmas parties. That is where the fun begins.

Throughout the film the trio become involved in many drunken antics that are fueled by booze and handfuls of drugs.

Isaac, played by Seth Rogen, stood out throughout the entire film. He spent most of his days worrying about the birth of his child, so his wife gave him a box of drugs to enjoy on Christmas Eve. After taking drugs such as molly, cocaine, and weed, he was off in his own crazy world: dancing, singing and just enjoying life.

One of the funniest parts of the film was when Isaac went into a Catholic church with his Jewish “Christmas sweater” and ran out screaming something along the lines of: We didn’t kill Jesus. That line alone gives you a good idea of the type of character he played.

Rogen had the help of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie who played Chris. Both of the actors brought something different to the table and beefed up the story line. Ethan cannot grow up. Chris is too self-involved in his career as a professional football player.

All three actors were comedic, and what most people do not know is that most of the lines in the film were improvised. It added to the realism because the actors were allowed to really get into their roles.

And, what movie starring Seth Rogen movie is complete without a little snippet of James Franco? Spoiler alert: Franco does make an appearance, but I will not tell you where.

In conclusion, The Night Before was hilarious and very entertaining because of the strong characters and unique story line. I would definitely recommend that you see this film during the holiday season. It is a solid reminder of why friends are so important in our lives!