I am as big a fan of Seth Rogen as they come… I was too young to watch “Freaks and Geeks” on TV, but I have since watched every episode I could find, in parts, on YouTube. I have seen most of his headlining movies, finding “Pineapple Express” and “This is the End” to be particularly hilarious and brilliant. When I first heard about “The Night Before,” with Seth Rogen starring alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie, (with, spoiler alert, James Franco making a momentary appearance as well) I was expecting a wild and hysterical take on a genre of movies largely known for being family-friendly and warm-hearted.

I was expecting big things; to constantly laugh throughout its entirety. That did not prove to be the case, but not in a disappointing way.

The film’s plot is actually very gripping, and even sad, for a Rogen film… taking place in New York City, the parents of Gordon-Levitt’s character, Ethan, die from a car accident caused by a drunk driver 14 years prior to the events of the film. Every Christmas since, despite Rogen’s character, Isaac, being Jewish (mentioned only because it is a prominent comic device in the film), the three friends, Ethan, Isaac, and Chris (played by Gordon-Levitt, Rogen, and Mackie, respectively) go out and find riotous fun every Christmas Eve in the big city. This year will be their final Eve out together, as Isaac and his wife are expecting a baby, and Chris is becoming increasingly famous from his football career being revived.

Ethan, on the emotional down-turn from his relationship falling off via his lack of commitment, steals tickets to an exclusive party, the Nutcracker Ball, and hopes to enjoy his final time out with Isaac and Chris by going. Prior to going to the party, though, and not to reveal the film’s entire plot, Ethan, Isaac, and Chris get caught up in drug use, street fights and even problems within their friendship and personal lives.

The plot itself is deeper than its packaging as a Christmas comedy would make one believe, but as a Christmas comedy, and a comedy film in general, for that matter, I feel like the film did not have too many hilarious scenes. There was definitely a stream of constant chuckles (from myself and the rest of the audience), the scenes of Rogen’s dealings with drugs throughout the film are funny, Franco’s appearance and character are hilarious, and exploring New York is a fun premise that feels like it could not possibly be done incorrectly by this cast. But maybe the plot, of this being their final time out together, while dealing with so many personal problems, makes this comedy a little too unlike the rest of Rogen’s films. If that is a good or bad thing is left to everybody to interpret for themselves.

I really did enjoy watching this film, but not really as a typical Rogen comedy. It was not a regular film of his, in terms of hilarity ensuing at every corner, absurd situations, and constant laughs. It had drugs, it had Evan Goldberg producing and writing and it had James Franco, but something was definitely different. That something, I think, was somberness… reality. “The Night Before” was as real a film as I can remember starring Seth Rogen, even if the premise is centered on going wild on Christmas Eve in the largest city in the country.

This film is absolutely worth seeing, but do not go into it expecting a Christmas-themed “This Is the End.” Expect chuckles to be constant, instead of hearty laughs, but the film itself is greatly enjoyable and endearing. The absence of constant guffaws is filled by fitting substitutes: a subtle dose of sad reality, a stream of chuckles, and essential qualities of the Christmas and holiday spirit: family, friends, and the notion that loved ones, blood-related or not, are the driving force of holiday cheer, and not commercialism, bright decorations and lights and material joy. In this way, even if “The Night Before” is not extremely funny in every single scene, it is warm, endearing and a nice twist to what we know as theme-driven Christmas films. “The Night Before” makes its deep, love-centered point without compromising its comedic integrity, and that makes this film a good present, even if it is not as completely and absurdly hilarious as Rogen’s prior films.