In the world of “This is the Night,” May 28, 1982, is a bigger date than Christmas and the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving all rolled into one because this is the day “Rocky III” hits theaters, and EVERYONE is dying to see it and can talk of nothing else and look at those lines snaking around the block at the local movie house! There’s even a gang of toughs who have beat each other to a pulp in order to look like Rocky after one of his bouts against Apollo Creed. The latest example would be James DeMonaco, who is best known for the dystopian horror “The Purge” franchise but now shifts gears in a major way for “This Is the Night,” a period-piece, coming-of-age film set on Staten Island in 1982, on the premiere date of “Rocky III.” Alas, while there’s no doubting the sincerity and passion behind DeMonaco’s love letter to the movies in general, to the “Rocky” franchise, and to the “American Graffiti”-esque device of having a series of life-changing events transpiring over the course of a single day/night, this is an unconvincing, contrived and rarely relatable misfire. Rated R (for language, some drug use and teen drinking). Universal Pictures Home Entertainment presents a film written and directed by James DeMonaco.
