One man’s friends are the only thing he can count on after the untimely death of his parents, in “The Night Before”. Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) have been friends since childhood, and for a decade, their yearly Christmas Eve reunion has been an annual night of debauchery and hilarity, ever since Ethan lost his parents on Christmas many years prior. Now that they’re entering adulthood, the tradition is coming to an end, and to make it as memorable as possible, they set out to find the Nutcracka Ball. The Holy Grail of Christmas parties organized by a mysterious figure who is a part of the guys past, present, and future. “The Night Before” offers a variety of hilarious topics, but it’s real heart is in the touching chemistry between the three male leads that present this film as something much more than just another Rogan-esque comedy. The film surprisingly casts a strong message for an era of Christmas lacking in memorable Christmas classics.

There is plenty of really solid laughs in the film, and a lot of that good flow comes from the fact that screenwriter and director Jonathan Levine refuses to settle for the same topic or two, similar to last year’s sludge “The Interview”. It’s amazing what one year can do for the maturity and patience of one man’s direction, because Levine really structures the film like the holiday classics that we all grew up on. That doesn’t mean that the crude comedy isn’t there, quite the opposite really. Seth Rogen delivers some of the very best slapstick comedy in his last five films. While his character’s remain very similar, he still finds that magical touch from a lovable goofball to bring the smiles out in all of us. That’s really where “The Night Before” yields it’s strength. It’s undoubtably going to be one of those films ten years from now that doesn’t quite put people in a Christmas mood, but it puts them in a cheerful one. Because of that, the movie is brilliantly cast with A-listers and celebrity cameos whose small investment time in the fiim yields an enormous return in memorable material.

More on the cameos in a second, but besides Rogen, the movie is really Gordon-Levitt’s for the taking. I remember worrying in the trailers if Levitt was going to be overshadowed by Rogen and Levine’s chemistry for each other, but surprisingly that’s only a problem during the first act of the movie. By the final half hour or so, Levitt is really the focus of the overall struggle and adversity for the film. It’s his scenes where I felt the most emotionally invested because this man has already lost his parents, and now he is losing his friends to the great things happening in their lives. Coming from a similar circumstance, I found myself relating a lot to the character of Ethan, and that’s something i never expected coming from a rude comedy like this one. Anthony Mackie is also a breath of fresh air for much smart-but-wise dialogue in the film. His comedy is the exact opposite of the physical schtick from Rogen, so you have to kind of pay attention to catch the real funny gems from replies to the madness going on around them. He’s the straight man for a lot of the movie, and while he sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of a flimsy backstory, Mackie always makes the most of any role he is thrust into.

On the subject of the cameos, there are four big ones in the film. The first one you could see coming from a mile away, but his material in the film left my stomach hurting from how loud my laughs were. This person is sending penis pictures VIA cellphone once Rogen gets his phone switched with a friend of his, and sheer hillarity ensues. I’m not opposed to this kind of comedy, and one of the reasons it didn’t work for me in last year’s “The Interview” is because too much of that film relied on sex and gag humor. It’s spread out very carefully in this script, and it garners the biggest reply. The second cameo is from the narrator of the film. He serves as kind of the Charles Dickens of the film, and his voice is very easy to familiarize yourself with if you watch as many movies as I do. The third cameo is noticeable in the first trailer released about the movie. A fledging pop star who is given some screen time to shine. Her role in the film feels a little shoehorned in, but luckily i didn’t have to put up with her for too long. The final cameo of the film is far and away the greatest part of this movie. This person’s dark humor delivers on a classic Christmas character with a twist, and i really don’t want to give anything away, as it was great to see one of my personal favorite actors in a role opposite of anything he is known for.

Overall, I had a fun time with “The Night Before”, and I would definitely recommend it to the Rogan fans of the world. The comedy is certainly always going to be there, but i found the film’s touching message about friendship the real winner in this film. That positivity about how you can always depend on friends to get you through the toughest moments of your life is what i found so entrancing and rewarding about the movie. Supported by great pacing with plenty of topics in the script, this film is definitely the biggest surprise for me of the holiday season. Some comedy misses it’s marks, but “The Night Before” manages to be both an enjoyable and sincere Christmas movie, sure to be a memorable reflection down Holiday Road for many years to come.

6/10