Movie: Rough Night
My Rating: 3 stars
This movie was alright. I didn’t hate it or anything. But, by no means did I think it was anything better than a mediocre attempt to capitalize on the bawdy shenanigans of the misbehaving ladies from Bridesmaids. I mean, I guess we are living in the times of emotionally stunted, adults with a bad case of Peter Pan Syndrome. We’re a whole generation of new adults who no longer have limitations set on us by our parents, who don’t yet have the responsibilities of families of our own (if we ever get them), and who have the disposable income to make our most destructive dreams a reality. So, it’s only natural that a bunch of comedies will have popped up celebrating our childish antics. But unfortunately, this movie just felt a bit to derivative of a lot of the comedies I’ve been seeing lately.
Scarlett Johansson plays an uptight political candidate who is getting married. And, her irresponsible college friends are throwing her a bachelorette party. Naturally that means a trip to Miami, a bunch of drugs, and males strippers that Scarlett does not want. But, her friends sure do. These irresponsible friends are played by Kate McKinnon, Ilana Glazer, and Jillian Bell—all actors who are well known for their lewd and juvenile antics. And, then there’s Zoe Kravitz, who plays another uptight business-lady type—because every party needs a pooper. And, the story gets off to a disastrous start as these rowdy bachelorettes somehow manage to kill their stripper. Now, they’ve got to figure out how to dispose of the body before anyone finds out—all while drunk and completely coked out of their gourds. Yes, it sounds like wild and wacky fun. And, yes it also sounds completely like a whole mess of other movies you’ve already seen—Bridesmaids, The Night Before, and Sisters come to mind immediately. And, it really follows the formula pretty closely.
Again, this isn’t a bad film. It’s enjoyable enough, so if you want to see it, don’t let me dissuade you. I enjoyed it for what it was—a little bit of rude fun, but essentially a cynical cash-grab based on a tried and true formula. But, there are a few performances that still stand out in this movie. I always love Jillian Bell. She was made for comedy, and this role suits her perfectly. I also kinda loved Ty Burrell and Demi Moore as the creepy, oversexed cougar couple who live next-door to the girls’ vacation house, and who are always trying to lure them into some kind of nude hot-tubbing. They are hilarious, and they perform really well off each other. And, they are the best parts of what would otherwise be a pretty unremarkable movie. So, I’ll leave it up to you to decide on this one for yourselves.