That Night review

Every group of friends has had that night(!). The one so wild, unpredictable and unbelievable they’ll tell it for years and decades to come. That Night might not be as memorable a film — it’s chaotic, messy and needlessly weird at points — to become a genre example of wild and crazy nights but there’s an earnestness that mostly makes it work in spite of some odd decisions.

Stacey (Julio Alexander) has some tough decisions to make. His artist career hasn’t blossomed the way he’d hoped and it’s fast approaching the one last desperate attempt or find an actual paying career path. Stacey is also failing to get over his ex, Lily (Julie Gester), who he already knows will be hanging out with his friends tonight.

Before Stacey can arrive to the party, he’s got to grab his boys Joey (Oscar Mansky) and Luke (Terrence Williams) to pick up the ring their pal Schmidt (Michael C. Hyatt) plans to use for his proposal to Andrea (Kendall McCarthy). Why Schmidt is counting on his friends to grab the engagement ring is a totally different question.

Director/Writer Zachary Trussell probably has somewhere between 17 to 20 wacky happenings playing out in film. Some, like the three masked weapons wielding goons stalking the gang, have amazing very funny payoffs. Others, like the encounter with Snowball, neatly connect various subplots justifying making it a running joke that works out just fine in the end.

Then there’s some like a character unintentionally popping a handful of laxatives, another getting erectile dysfunction pills slipped in his drink and the various Uber drivers very weird video choices that come off like Trussell is trying too hard to make jokes land. The irony is That Night is at its best when it’s grounded in reality and the wacky moments stem from miscommunication, bad luck or terrible timing.

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Joey proves the biggest challenge to the norm. He’s written like every bro com doofus who’s cluelessly overconfident, grating and so obnoxious that it’s hard to see why any of these guys would want to hang out with him. Joey is the biggest caricature character who would have benefitted greatly from Trussell deciding what makes him an asset to his friends and the movie as opposed to the catalyst for some of the worst scenes.

Trussell keeps the film moving at a solid pace. The benefit of Trussell having so many ideas he wants to bring out is it prevents him from being so locked in scenes that aren’t working. It’s rare when he shifts from one silly scene to the next, which helps for viewer investment instead of them shifting to find something else to watch.

There’s a low budget feel that actually works in the film’s charm. A night out with friends doesn’t need to look pristine with terrific lighting and cold, sterile set designs. All the locales look properly lived in with an eye for legit authenticity as opposed to “movie realness.”

Performances are decent with some (Alexander, Gester and McCarthy) better than others, but none actively drag the film down.

In a nice bit that really would be cool to see become more of the norm, the end credits blend the rollout of the actors and crew to illustrate the folks working behind the camera are just as important.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Photo Credit: Freestyle Digital Media