This Underrated 2010s Holiday Comedy Features A Truly Wild Michael Shannon Performance

This article contains spoilers for "The Night Before."

Every year, it seems like there's more and more movies trying to establish themselves as the next Christmas classic. But time is the true indicator of this, as some of the best holiday movies prove to be even more rewarding on repeat viewings. Two of them, ironically enough, came out a decade ago. The first is Michael Dougherty's "Krampus," which has more than proven its value as a wintery gateway horror movie alongside "Gremlins." The second is Jonathan Levine's "The Night Before," one of the funniest and most underrated Christmas movies of the 2010s. The film follows three best friends embarking on their annual yuletide spree of fun and general debauchery throughout New York City, with the catch that this is the last hurrah. Chris (Anthony Mackie) is enveloped with the expectations of fame, while Isaac (Seth Rogen) is swept up by the imminent anxieties of being a father. Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the friend whose parental tragedy kicked off this whole tradition 15 years prior, feels the most hesitant to move forward. But on this night, the coveted secret party known as the Nutcracker Ball presents an opportunity for partying, secrets and, possibly, growth.

As far as holiday hangout movies go, "The Night Before" sure is a great one. The loose improvisational comedy lends itself to the amazing chemistry between Gordon-Levitt, Rogen and Mackie. It feels like hanging out with some old friends, and getting a little messed up while doing so. But the scene stealer among them is Michael Shannon as Mr. Green, the local drug dealer who used to sell them pot in high school. It's a hilariously unpredictable performance that fundamentally serves as the glue to the whole film.

A year prior, Shannon made an unforgettable surprise appearance in David Wain's hilarious rom-com parody "They Came Together" with a samurai sword. He steals the movie, if only for a minute or two because that's the kind of power his presence wields. I remember having no idea who would be in that beat-up car when I first saw "The Night Before," and lost it upon seeing a pretty mellowed-out Shannon. His introduction is made even funnier when he says "good evening" like Bela Lugosi's Dracula the moment Chris gets in. It's second to when an intoxicated Isaac is later greeted with a confident "Five-O, bro, you're busted." Shannon is so effortlessly funny in this. Mr. Green shows up in threes, not unlike the three ghosts in "A Christmas Carol," to be the sage that guides our main trio in the right direction. Like smoking weed with Shannon, an idea that sounds enticing and scary at the same time, you never know what he's going to do next.

Mr. Green's demeanor walks that tightrope of being this mellow older guy who's pretty sweet, yet kind of sad, and a deeply intense stranger. When he tells Isaac that the trio are all his children, it's technically true since he's seen them grow up over the past decade or so. At the same time, having Shannon say that in his usual cadence puts you just as much on edge. He could kill them at any second, and it honestly wouldn't be that out of place. Levine, along with screenwriters Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir and Evan Goldberg, blur the lines between fantasy and comedy reality that suits Shannon's performance. It makes his ultimate reveal that much more satisfying.

For every moment you start to question Mr. Green's true presence, like Shannon telling Isaac "just looking into your soul, man," he hits you with hialrious gems like "look at my finger. You need to give me a hundred bucks and get the f*** out of my car." But it's in Mr. Green's conversation with Ethan on the rooftop where everything is put into perspective. Every encounter with the trio involves him being their guardian angel, in which he offers up some form of weed to get them where they need to be. Mr. Green truly is the stoner-brained Clarence for a generation whose anxieties of identity and personal growth hit close to home.

Chris is always so occupied with impressing his teammates that he takes steroids and sidelines his friends for social media clout. But smoking with Mr. Green makes him appreciate the joys of living in the Christmas present with the people who actually care about him. Isaac spends most of "The Night Before" in an intoxicated fugue state that helps him realize his hallucinatory fears of not being a good father are based on a bunch of nonsensical "what ifs." The lesson Mr. Green imparts on Ethan, however, is about recognizing that his friends will always be there for him even when their Christmas tradition ends, and that it's not an excuse to remain stagnant in life. "I've been told my quiet intensity has that effect on people, but sometimes being uncomfortable can be a good thing," says Shannon.

It's a wild comic performance that results in an expected, yet very funny farewell that makes me laugh every year. Divine intervention, thy name is Michael Shannon.

"The Night Before" is currently streaming on Peacock and Tubi.