Rough Night Review

R: Sexual Content, Language Throughout, Drug Use and Brief Bloody Images 

Sony, Columbia Pictures, Lstar Capital

1 Hr and 41 Minutes

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, Zoë Kravitz, Paul W. Downs, Ty Burrell, Demi Moore

REVIEW: If you know me, you might know that one of my favorite shows on TV right now is Broad City. It all started in 2014 when I met this girl named Cosette who was part of a Tribeca film program we attended for the summer. I was a critic and she was a filmmaker, actress, model, & entrepreneur. One day she was out shooting a small little scene Broad City and like the supportive friend I was, I eager to see her on TV. Somehow I found myself getting addicted to the show and not just because of my friend. That show became a part of me as it expressed both my love and hatred about NYC from transit to people while providing excellent commentary about different subjects. 

I mean last year I went to a movie at Tribeca and across the street was the premiere of The Time Traveling Bong (a miniseries from the minds of Ilana Glazer, Paul W. Downs, and Lucia Aniello). So right after the movie I was watching ended, I ran over just in time to meet Paul W. Downs and Abbi Jacobson. 

I HAD A SHITTY PHONE! DON’T JUDGE ME!

So when word got out that in 2015 a screenplay written by Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello ended up on the blacklist on unproduced screenplays, I was eager to see it become a reality. Rough Night was undoubtedly one of my most anticipated movies to see this year. I don’t get anticipated for movies anymore, but when you have two of writers of Broad City making one I only have one thing to say:

I did pay to see this today since I never had the chance to attend any of the screenings due to scheduling conflicts and discriminating studio reps (but that's a story for another day).

Five best friends from college reunite 10 years later for a wild bachelorette weekend in Miami. Their hard partying takes a hilariously dark turn when they accidentally kill a male stripper. Amidst the craziness of trying to cover it up, they're ultimately brought closer together when it matters most.

THE GOOD: For a first-time feature-length film director, Lucia Aniello does a tremendous job having her cast comfortable and letting them loose to chill in their comedic aura. It has doses of her flair you see in previous work she has done. When you see anyone take drugs, you know the effects it has on them without the editing having to make it look crazy. When the film focuses on Paul W. Downs and his subplot, you see him go through drug induced moments that is legitimately hysterical.

Two people who made this film hilarious for a brief amount of time are two cast members you don’t see in the trailer, and that is Demi Moore and Ty Burrell who plays a laid back loving couple who enjoy others to join in their foreplay. Every time they were on screen I cracked up.

There are little moments in the script that sense came from Broad City in the best way. There's a running gag throughout involving the word “tampon,” that is pretty clever. It's clever how it's used in context to the story and can be utilized for women to use in their everyday life. I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw women using the word in clubs with their friends. I hope that thing catches on because it is pretty smart. 

THE BAD: Usually this is the time of the year Sony releases a magnum opus comedy to stick through the summer.

In 2013 we had Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg’s This is the End.
In 2014 we had Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s 22 Jump St.

Though Sony made the smart move and to have an openly expanded change of voice, this never reaches the heights of those said films which they distributed in the past. While those two comedies worked on both originality and a witty script, Rough Night fails to have either. The film is sporadically funny because most of the humor relies on both reaction shots and ad-libbing. A lot of the movie is split between the comedy and the story, but yet both of them are never balanced. The movie is like an amalgamation of every R-rated raunchy comedy but done better such as Very Bad Things, Bridesmaids, and The Hangover.

I mean look at it.

Scarlett Johansson is Phil (Bradley Cooper) because she’s the straight woman of the group who tries her best to get out of the situation she and her friends are in
 
Jillian Bell is Alan (Zach Galifianakis) because she’s the self-absorbed unlikeable one that you ask, “Why are people friends with you?”

Kate McKinnon is Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) because she’s doing an accent and gets the majority of the laughs due to her randomness.

When you’re supposed to believe a lot of this cast are friends you never feel it. You don't feel these girls are friends but just a combination of characters these actresses played in the past and coming together in one crossover. Bell is her character from Idiotsitter. McKinnon is herself from SNL. Johansson is herself every time she visits SNL. The only two cast members whose dynamic are different you care for is Ilana Glazer and Zoë Kravitz who has a subplot that is more mature and genuine than the real premise of the movie. Yes, it's a romantic subplot, but it works because it has realism. It is not a subplot that is promoting an LGBT agenda or anything close to it for its played for dramatic effect.

I did laugh now and then but only because of Kate McKinnon. The only difference with McKinnon is that she’s well intended and charming. She has a pure innocence with everyone, and it is so good that you feel she came from an entirely separate movie like a Paul Feig film (and no not Ghostbusters). I know right? Another movie that Kate McKinnon singlehandedly saves. She's doing an annoying Austrailian accent that only works for a 5 min skit and not opposed to a 100-minute film. 

For a movie called Rough Night, it does have a rough start but by the second half the jokes start to get better, and it gets a bit funnier. For a brief moment, this becomes the movie I wanted to see. Granted a lot of the jokes are still hit or miss, I finally came to enjoy it. BUT THEN THE LAST ACT KICKED IN! It just takes so many easy steps to conclude itself that it has such a mediocre payoff.

 It has a few funny lines here and there, but you can tell a lot of the jokes were ad-libbed which can work while filming with friends but not much on an actual audience. You can feel it when a character asks someone else for their opinion on this situation, and you can feel the limelight shine down upon them for at least 30 seconds. You feel some of them are having fun, but then you feel some of them are sweating like Rodney Dangerfield.

LAST STATEMENT: Despite its talented cast and on-paper premise, Rough Night’s poorly executes what could’ve been something special due to its retreaded plot and cliches that have been done better in other R-rated comedies.

Despite my rating, I would still recommend people to see this. I would still love to see what  Lucia Aniello and other writers of Broad City could come up with. Screw it; I would like to see what other comedy central show writers can do. We had Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck, and now we have Lucia Aniello’s Rough Night. I would love to see other writers branch out. I would like to see Jillian write her movie, or Anders Holm write his movie. Most of all, I want to see Iliana Glazer & Abbi Jacobson write their movie.

WATCH IT BE THE BEST COMEDIC MASTERPIECE EVER WRITTEN THAT MAKES ME STAND UP IN THE THEATER AND PROUDLY SCREAM:

Rating: 2/5 | 46%

SUPER SCENE: THE MAN WHO PLAYS A TRAINER BECOMES THE CLEANER!