One of the more promising comedic projects in the works over the past couple years has been a reunion of sorts between the team that made the excellent, impactful comedy/drama 50/50. Director Jonathan Levine worked once again with stars Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt on a new film set during the holiday season, and during production the project was going by the title X-Mas. Now, with the November 25th release date approaching, it appears that Columbia Pictures is getting ready to unveil the first trailer, but it’ll boast the film’s new title: The Night Before.
The story revolves around three childhood friends, Ethan (Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Rogen), and Chris (Anthony Mackie), who come together for one last debauchery-filled Christmas Eve reunion before officially becoming too old for the tradition. In an effort to make this last hurrah as memorable as possible, they set out to find the storied Nutcracka Ball—the mother of all Christmas parties.
So it’s somewhat lighter material than a “cancer comedy,” but even when Levine tackled the zombie genre with Warm Bodies, he imbued the film with a tender center. One hopes for a similar sensibility here (along with the hilarity of course), and the film is bolstered by a solid roster of talent that includes Lizzy Caplan, Jillian Bell, Mindy Kaling, and, perhaps most excitingly, Michael Shannon.
Levine co-wrote the script with Rogen’s partner-in-crime Evan Goldberg, with Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir also receiving screenwriting credit. With the title unveiling and a complete synopsis now online, the first trailer should be arriving shortly.
