Film

The Night Before

Name: The Night Before
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 1988
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lori Loughlin, Theresa Saldana, Trinidad Silva, Suzanne Snyder

Other titles called The Night Before: the 2015 film.

Comedy

A scrappy 80s comedy about a nerdy kid who gets the girl of his dreams to prom, then wakes up in an alley with no memory of the night and a mystery to solve. It's broad, silly, and earnest—the kind of film that swings for the fences with charm rather than precision, landing somewhere between teen comedy and caper.

TMDb rating

3.1

If you liked this

Better Off Dead...1985

Another 80s teen comedy with heart, built on absurdist humour and a protagonist who's genuinely likeable despite being a mess. The tone and spirit are close cousins.

But The comedy is even weirder and more of-its-time than *The Night Before*, which might feel too arch if you're looking for something grounded.

Porky's1981

The gold standard of raunchy 80s teen comedies: dumb, energetic, surprisingly well-made, with a real sense of fun and an ensemble cast that actually feels like friends.

But It's aggressively lewd and dated in ways that don't age gracefully. Some of the humour lands poorly now, and the gender politics are questionable.

Can't Buy Me Love1987

A kid pays a popular girl to be his date and both their lives upend. It's lighter and sweeter than the premise suggests, with genuine chemistry and a soft heart underneath the hijinks.

But The core conceit is uncomfortable by modern standards, and it occasionally mistakes sentimentality for earned emotion.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Night Before

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Desperately Seeking Susan1985

Both hinge on a night of chaos that strips away who someone was; both find humour and heart in mistaken identity and waking up wrong.

A bored housewife gets mistaken for an eccentric drifter and wakes up in a stranger's life with amnesia. Same structure—ordinary person, lost night, identity chaos—but Susan Seidelman directs it as a screwball mystery with genuine invention and a killer soundtrack.

But It's a woman's film and deliberately uninterested in romance as resolution. If you want clear plot mechanics, it's elliptical and sometimes feels deliberately obscure.

The Sure Thing1985

A road trip comedy that's actually romantic, with John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga building real connection amid chaos. Sharp writing and perfect ensemble work.

But Slower than *The Night Before*, more interested in character than plot. If you want constant energy, it drags in the middle.

Splash1984

Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah find charm and odd chemistry in a rom-com built on a bizarre premise. Spielberg directs with lightness and genuine warmth.

But It's gentler and more sentimentally inclined than a scrappy caper. The tone can feel saccharine if you're resistant to the whimsy.

After Hours1985

Griffin Dunne wakes up in downtown Manhattan and spends the night in increasingly surreal trouble. Same DNA—ordinary guy, extraordinary night—but Scorsese treats it like a fever dream.

But It's much darker and more deliberately unsettling. If you want escapist fun, this goes to places that feel hostile rather than funny.

Weird Science1985

Two nerdy kids create the perfect woman and chaos erupts. It's stupid with total conviction, shot with real style, and Kelly LeBrock is genuinely charming.

But The gender dynamics are creepy, the plot meanders, and it leans heavily on 80s new-wave posturing that hasn't aged well.

Just One of the Guys1985

A girl disguises herself as a boy to infiltrate a school newspaper. Great cast chemistry, surprisingly progressive for its era, and the reveal lands with genuine warmth.

But It's gentler and more romance-focused than *The Night Before*. The comedy is lighter; if you want anarchic energy, it's too interested in the love story.

Mannequin1987

A guy falls in love with a department store mannequin that comes to life. Pure 80s nonsense with Andrew McCarthy's sincere conviction and a genuinely catchy score.

But It's aggressively stupid and the premise wears thin fast. The romantic logic is broken and the comedy relies on broad physical gags that land unevenly.

The Poseidon Adventure1972

Both are intricate ensemble capers where a central event scrambles everything and survival depends on unlikely cooperation.

A ship capsizes and an ensemble cast claws through the wreckage. It's a disaster epic from the 1970s, but it's built exactly like a caper—a group with different skills, obstacles, mounting stakes, and that same scrappy energy.

But It's deadly serious about survival, long, and interested in spectacle rather than humour. The tone is heavy and the pacing slow; it's not trying to be fun.

After the Thin Man1936

Both are mysteries solved by a guy trying to figure out what happened the night before, driven by genuine affection for the woman at the centre.

A husband-and-wife detective team (William Powell and Myrna Loy) investigate a murder during a Christmas break. Sophisticated, witty, endlessly charming, built on banter and genuine partnership—a reminder that scrappy, intelligent comedies existed long before the 80s.

But It's in black and white, from another era, and the pace is conversational rather than frenetic. If you want constant plot momentum, it rewards sitting with the characters instead.