The Night Before Movie Poster Image

The Night Before

(i)

 

Holiday comedy is extremely vulgar but still kind of sweet.
  • Review Date: November 20, 2015
  • Rated: R
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Release Year: 2015
  • Running Time: 101 minutes

What parents need to know

Positive messages

Amid the iffy stuff, he three friends struggle with personal problems (commitment, responsibility, consequences for your actions) and learn to trust and confide in one another. They learn that their friendship is important and should be trusted to survive despite family, relationship, and work demands.

Positive role models

Even though the characters work to keep their friendship going -- and they're all nice guys -- their behavior in the movie is very iffy, with no real repercussions.

Violence

Violence played for laughs includes a chase, with painful-looking falls; a brief fist fight; a runaway horse dragging a man; a man stabbed through the hand; a bloody nose (with blood dripping into a drink). Also yelling, shouting.

Sex

A couple has sex in a public bathroom (no graphic nudity, but different positions are shown). Brief shot of topless women in a strip club. Naked penis pictures on a phone. Naked male bottom shown from the side. Strong innuendo/sex talk.

Language

Very strong language, with extremely frequent uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "c--k," "p---y," "a--hole," "bitch," "balls," "a--hole," "jizz," "vagina," "d--k," "douchebag," "crackheads," etc. -- plus "Jesus" (as an exclamation).

Consumerism

Red Bull is mentioned and shown frequently. A Sony Xperia Z Ultra smartphone is shown several times and mentioned by name. Apple iPhones are shown. Craigslist mentioned. Nintendo '64 is mentioned (specifically Goldeneye 007).

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Main characters drink alcohol and use drugs (mushrooms, cocaine, pot, etc.) throughout (it's indicated that this behavior is an exception to the norm). A character has extreme, comical reactions to the drugs. A character uses performance-enhancing steroids. A secondary character is a drug dealer. A character's parents were killed by a drunk driver.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Night Before is a "hard R" comedy set on Christmas Eve that stars Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie. It's filled with iffy/unsafe behavior, not necessarily with any consequences -- but the main characters do learn to become responsible and to trust one another. There's a brief sex scene, and naked breasts are shown in a strip club; plus, there are penis pictures on a phone and lots of heavy innuendo throughout the movie. One main character takes lots of drugs -- including mushrooms, cocaine, and pot -- and has extreme, intended-to-be-comical reactions to them. A secondary character is a drug dealer, and there's also quite a bit of drinking. Language is very strong and constant, with uses of "f--k," "s--t," "c--k," "p---y," and much more. Some violent moments/dangerous situations are played for laughs, including chases, fights, and a stabbing, with a little blood shown. Characters pee and throw up in public.

What's the story?

In 2001, Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) lost his parents in a drunk-driving accident. So on that Christmas Eve, his best friends, Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie), tried to cheer him up with an evening of fun. That evening turned into an annual tradition, with more drinking and debauchery added each year. Plus, the friends have always searched for the ultimate Christmas party -- known as the Nutcracker Ball -- and this year, Ethan has actually procured three tickets. This is also their final year of holiday debauchery, as Isaac is about to become a father, and Chris is too easily recognized as a football star. Armed with drugs and a limo, the friends must survive a night in the big city, deal with their own fears and insecurities, and keep their friendship together.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Naughty Christmas comedies are fairly common, and this one doesn't offer much that hasn't been done before, but the bond between the three characters, and a love of Christmas, make it worth seeing. Director/co-writer Jonathan Levine previously moderated male bonding between Gordon-Levitt and Rogen in the terrific 50/50, and he effortlessly brings that level of affection and care to the three men here. They compliment each other nicely, like the three corners of a triangle.

Unfortunately, the humor in the movie doesn't quite take off. It's based on the very simple arcs that each character goes through separately; it's plenty naughty, but it's not terribly surprising. The humor in the similar A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas worked better because it was cleverly balanced between zaniness and sanity. Still, a couple of giggles and a genuine affection eventually save the day and make THE NIGHT BEFORE a stocking stuffer worth opening.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about how drinking and drugs are depicted in The Night Before. Are they glamorized? Does the movie make them look like fun, or do the characters pay a price? What would the real-life consequences be?

  • How can a holiday movie be so filled with problematic behavior and still feel so heartwarming? Can you think of other movies that attempt the same balance? Does it work?

  • How does the movie handle sex, nudity, and innuendo? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

  • How does the film portray friendship? Do you think it's realistic? Teens: How do you anticipate your friendships changing as you get older?

  • Have you ever felt unwilling or unable to take on certain responsibilities? How or why? What happened?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:November 20, 2015
DVD release date:March 1, 2016
Cast:Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie
Director:Jonathan Levine
Studio:Sony Pictures Releasing
Genre:Comedy
Topics:Friendship, Holidays
Run time:101 minutes
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:drug use and language throughout, some strong sexual content and graphic nudity

This review of The Night Before was written by

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Quality

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  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Teen, 17 years old Written byStevie111 November 20, 2015

Very Funny and Sweet Christmas Comedy

This film, though raunchy and filled with drug use, had a nice story and nice messages. Overall, it was really good. It is best suited for older audiences due to harsh language, drug use throughout, and some graphic nudity. There is some stronger sexual content, but it isn't that frequent. This is a nice Christmas movie for adults and older, mature teens. I recommend it.
What other families should know
Great messages
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Adult Written byBlackWidow97 November 20, 2015

Raunchy film has heart for older viewers

This film features a cast of odd-balls that all have fairly strong character growth. Almost every scene involves drug-use especially surrounding Rogan's Issac who is given a box of mixed drugs by his pregnant wife that he experiments with. A football player is shown injecting himself with steroids. Lots of weed with a hilarious performance by the dealer. A man has sex in a bathroom and they are shown in multiple positions. One scene involves a man receiving dick pics on his phone multiple times not realizing that it is a woman's phone (they are shown on screen). A man also vomits in a church. Like most Rogan films, there is heavy swearing with multiple f-bombs and assorted language. A man calls his unborn child a c--t in a video he films while under the influence of multiple drugs most notably cocaine. A man also has a drug induced vision depicting his future child as a stripper. Nude breasts are shown and some vulgar language. These characters are very lovable but this is not a family film. I would never watch this film with my parents even though I had a fun night.
What other families should know
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Kid, 11 years old November 22, 2015

Great Movie for Teens and Adults

The Night Before is a fast-paced comedy about friendship and love. It faces important dilemmas from the point of view of the the characters going through said problems. It includes extremely heavy drug use including mushrooms, cocaine, steroids, marijuana and ecstasy. There is also a brief sex scene but nothing explicit is shown. At one point in the movie a photo of a penis is shown when it is sent to a main character over text. Language is strong but okay for mature viewers. Overall this movie is another win by the comedic master Seth Rogen and I recommend it for anyone who is looking for a heartwarming holiday movie full of humor and excitement.
What other families should know
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

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