The Night Before

At one point, the notion of Seth Rogen as a father was so inherently ridiculous that they made an entire feature-length comedy about it. The curly-haired Canadian/marijuana enthusiast has always seemed like every straight American male’s platonic ideal of what a best friend should be: smart, funny, ready to dispense advice and/or drugs at the drop of a hat. He has never, though, been anyone’s idea of dad material. Every Rogen movie is a loving ode to the joys of staying eternally young, and also the build-up towards that inevitable moment where our lovable schlub is finally forced to grow up.

Turns out, everyone’s favourite chuckling teddy bear has grown up. Well, sort of. He actually plays a dad — and, from the looks of things, a (mostly) decent one — in The Night Before, a shambling, sporadically funny stoner comedy that splits the difference between your traditional yuletide yarn and the typical Rogen gross-out-fest where friendships are tested and eventually affirmed, naughty jokes are made and everything turns out to be more or less alright in the end. More often than not, the movie succeeds  and is sweet and silly, with a lightness of touch. However flimsy it is in the grand scheme of things, in the moment it possesses a modest but undeniable charm.

Our trio of bros this time around are Isaac, played by Rogen, Chris (Anthony Mackie) and Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Isaac is the typical Rogen character gone domestic, Chris is a charismatic, hot-headed football superstar with an all-too-predictable secret and Ethan works dead-end catering gigs and remains emotionally stunted after the tragic and untimely death of his parents. With each passing year, their brotherhood of bong hits and bar crawls is solidified by one longstanding Christmas tradition: a night of karaoke, Chinese food, playing the piano from Big and, finally, the attempt to gain access to the Nutcracka Ball, a mythological party that is reputed to be one of the most lavish and elusive in New York City. A few things end up complicating the boy’s quest, however, including the re-emergence of Ethan’s old flame, the wonderful Lizzy Caplan, and Isaac’s wife giving him a pocket-sized box of narcotics that he ingests all too willingly. Throw in a gang of drunk sidewalk Santas, an admittedly rousing live performance of Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball and an almost-too-creepy cameo from Rogen’s pal James Franco, then roll, seal, spark and inhale and you’ve got The Night Before.

The director here is Jonathan Levine, who helmed 50/50, his first union of Rogen and Levitt - a flawed but ultimately affecting dramedy about one young man’s battle with cancer. Levine has a gift for naturalistic comedy and an ear for male banter and camaraderie. It doesn’t hurt that our three stars manage to convincingly portray a lived-in, long-term friendship marred by instances of doubt and betrayal. Rogen is especially funny when he’s losing it, although a nasty gag about cocaine blood ending up in a woman’s drink goes too far, while Mackie subtly oscillates between bouts of narcissism and the crippling insecurity of a grown-up jock. Not surprisingly, Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns out to be the film’s heart: his Ethan is a palpable and heartbreaking vision of young male stasis, even when the film’s busy script saddles him with some unwieldy dialogue. The Night Before also features a who’s who of comic talent in supporting roles, including the indispensable Jillian Bell as Rogen’s wife, Nathan Fielder as a weirdo limo driver, Mindy Kaling doing Mindy Kaling, Broad City’s Ilana Glazer as a weed-stealing Grinch and Tracy Morgan in a role that is way too funny to spoil here.

In almost every respect, The Night Before is exactly what it’s supposed to be: a broad, big-hearted trifle whose momentary lapses in good taste are ultimately redeemed by its sweetness.