The Night Before (2015)

The skeleton of The Night Before is very clichéd, but the cast is magnificent and the requisite amount of jokes land. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.

Funny. 'The Night Before' makes for very amusing viewing, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie are great together, I like all three actors individually and as a trio they are just as terrific - all give entertaining performances. Rogen plays the most obvious role for him yet absolutely nails it, Gordon-Levitt is probably the weaker of the three but is still pleasant to watch - as is Mackie. The casting is top notch, with supports like Michael Shannon and Tracy Morgan. There are other noteworthy faces involved too, like Ilana Glazer and Lorraine Toussaint. The plot isn't anything crazy or distinctive, yet still feels suitably fresh for the vast majority. I will say, though, the film does hit a bit of a wall at around the midway point, but thankfully picks up almost immediately - thanks to a great scene with a couple of fun cameos. An enjoyable film. It's ridiculous, but they make it work. Recommended.