Movie Review: ‘About Last Night’

“About Last Night”
Directed by Steve Pink
Screen Gems
1.0 / 5.0 paws

It’s Valentine’s Day. You’re looking to take your date to a hilarious rom-com that will spark lively conversation about the exciting and preposterous love lives of fictional characters. What should you see? Definitely not “About Last Night.”

A film about the transition from one-night stands to real relationships, director Steve Pink’s remake of the 1986 film “About Last Night” delivers an exhausting narrative overrun by clichés and tasteless humor. Essentially a regurgitation of the typical romantic comedy formula, the movie follows the relationships of two very distinct couples.

After an uncomfortable first night together, loudmouth Bernie (Kevin Hart) and whiny dentist Joan (Regina Hall) set up a date, dragging along their reluctant friends Danny (Michael Ealy) and Debbie (Joy Bryant) in hopes of suppressing any awkward feelings. By the end of the night, Bernie and Joan have drunkenly made their way into a public restroom, and Danny and Debbie have exchanged several romantic one-liners en route to Danny’s apartment. Thus begins a yearlong showcase of sex-driven and painfully predictable relationships.

The relationship that ensues between Bernie and Joan is incredibly rocky. Laced with odd, uncomfortable sex scenes and constant bickering and yelling, the two can’t seem to figure out if they like each other or just the lovemaking. When the fighting and insults finally finish, one can’t help but release a sigh of relief.

Hart’s character is the primary source of comedy in the film, and while his jokes do garner a laugh here and there, the vulgarity and insensitivity behind his humor are overdone. The entire character essentially feels like one of Hart’s stand-up acts, with lines that sound overwhelmingly scripted and greatly take away from the reality of the story. Hall tries to make her performance equally as vivacious and wild as Hart’s, which only adds to the exhausting effect of their narrative.

Ealy and Bryant deliver characters that are much less theatrical than the other two, and provide a much-needed break from their friends’ chaotic relationship. Danny and Debbie are much more traditional in terms of a romantic comedy – their relationship begins almost immediately – they kiss, enjoy intimate interactions similar to those of Bernie and Joan, go to baseball games and movies, laugh and just relish each other’s company. Eventually and inevitably, their relationship grows more serious, and Danny gives Debbie a drawer in his dresser, which later becomes a key to his apartment. The predictability continues from here.

The conflict that eventually develops between the two is, in contrast to Bernie and Joan’s, particularly passive and seems to exist purely for the sake of having a dramatic conflict. The initial cause of the conflict is unclear and features many deep romantic ideals that seek to give the film a meaningful plotline but fail to mix cohesively with Hart’s excessive comedic banter. In fact, showcasing Hart’s lively and somewhat obnoxious performance appears to be the primary function of the film, with a cliché romance thrown in on the side.

One subplot that holds potential is Danny’s devotion to a struggling local bar and his need to help it stay on its feet. For an instant it feels as though at least one of the characters has a purpose other than finding romance; however, the film wastes so much time on love and comedy that this idea is never fully developed. The addition of this subplot, among others, leaves the film and its characters feeling emphatically stagnant and one-dimensional.

While “About Last Night” is by no means an exemplary work of cinematic achievement, it could prove to be a fun Valentine’s Day excursion for those couples looking to share in the delight of carping over a bad movie.