Jess (Scarlett Johansson) is in the midst of running for the State Senate. She is engaged to Peter (Paul W. Downs) and is about to embark upon the most sacred and holy of prenuptial rituals: her bachelorette party, in Miami, no less.
She’s joined by her old college friends for the weekend; the hyper-needy Alice (Jillian Bell), the activist and weed enthusiast Frankie (Ilana Glazer), the snooty, classy AF Blair (Zoe Kravitz), and ‘Aussie’ Pippa from Jess’ Australian semester abroad (Kate McKinnon). Shout-out also to the hilariously uncomfortable cameos by Demi Moore and Ty Burrell.
Keeping with tradition, the girls hire Jess a male stripper. When an overeager Alice launches herself raunchily at him, the scene strays from the cliché bachelorette party as Mr. Stripper’s head clips a concrete corner and hits the ground. I know, you saw all this in the trailer, but the scene takes a wrenching turn from comedy as blood starts pooling on the floor and the women realise CPR isn’t going to bring him back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jRNDOZnGKU
They know they’ve seriously fucked up, and it’s almost touching when they apologise to the body on the floor, acknowledging that “he deserved better”. And then he ends up with penis party glasses on his face, because, you know, bachelorette party. Desperate to avoid prison, Jess, Alice, Frankie, Blair and Pippa attempt to conceal and dispose of the body in numerous ways: no body, no crime.
One of the problems with these types of films is that they require the characters to make the most ridiculous decisions possible, which can get a little frustrating. If everyone acted responsibly, the movie would be realistic, but about 15 minutes long and totally uninteresting. However, Rough Night manages to acknowledge the most logical course of action and then explain why it’s not possible. After all, what is a comedy if not for characters acting irrationally for our entertainment?
It’s a mix of Bridesmaids and The Hangover, with an obvious touch of Very Bad Things, but the dark humour is most akin to Death At A Funeral. Unlike the cast of Bridesmaids, whose welcome wore out as each seemingly vied for the biggest laugh, the women of Rough Night have a strong and interesting dynamic.
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The death scene is actually done with delicate sensitivity. The light-hearted humour is only mixed in with short breaths, enough to keep it a comedy, but not an extraneous amount to deter from the main storyline. The film lovingly mocks every bachelorette cliché, and it may be a familiar tale, but if you go into this looking to have a good time, you’ll have fun with it.
Rough Night is in cinemas now.
