About Last Night

About Last Night could have gone in two directions: Play it safe and make easy money like 2012's Think like a Man; or gamble the R rating, become more realistic, and resemble the likes of Best Man Holiday.

The gamble was taken, and the payoff is far better than expected. About Last Night finally allows Kevin Hart off the leash and the results are amazing. He also has a comedic rival in the female category with Regina Hall, who stands toe-to-toe with his insanity and doesn't back down. The end result is a romantic dramedy that despite lacking in laughs in favor of drama delivers an entertaining movie that will go down as one that took risks, just not enough of them.

The main risk was the well-earned yet respectably mature R rating. Your best movies about relationships usually tend to be those that do not shy away from the more mature subjects and aren't afraid of baring it all physically and emotionally. The Before Sunrise trilogy and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are the better modern examples. About Last Night never exaggerates to earn the rating, instead exposes one-night stands, relationships, sex, emotional growth, and all the complications amongst these subjects with no red tape to stop it—ultimately establishing itself as a more mature film in its usual cinematic genre.

It wasn't just the honesty that gives About Last Night its edge above its usual contemporaries. It boasts a great (besides Bruno Mars' latest album) soundtrack that incorporates a healthy dosage of jazz and blues, employs a script with good dialogue, and is directed and edited nice and tight for that it never really overstays its welcome. Most importantly, the chemistry amongst the leads is off the charts. Regina Hall and Kevin Hart are nearly flawless together, as their banter and angry love provide the most laughs and some of the best moments in the movie. Not to be undone, the more dramatic relationship between Joy Bryant and Michael Ealy was very much believable and carried the emotional weight of the entire film.

What ultimately bogs down About Last Night is that it doesn't quite dig deep enough into the psyche of modern-day relationships. The 1980 version of About Last Night and the play that it's based on were both brutally realistic as well as critical of the time period and the views of relationships amongst the culture. With this version, we see the who, the what, and the where, but don't enough of the why. It lacks the subtle commentary like what we saw in Her, it lacks the explanation as to why it's become more difficult nowadays for marriages and long-lasting relationships to survive.

One of the quietly scary trends nowadays is the deterioration of the American marriage, especially amongst minorities like Hispanics and Blacks. This movie could have broken even more ground if this had been explored and expanded upon the concept of Sexual Perversion in Chicago, the original stage play. The play is 40 years old, maybe its time for an update?

Mediocre movies remain in shallow waters. Riskier movies swim deeper. And the best of the best fully dive in and risk all the consequences. About Last Night lands somewhere in the middle, but nonetheless is an entertaining movie with good performances and good chemistry. This movie will not embed itself in romantic drama history, but will leave a nice impression throughout the year—especially from rising star Kevin Hart and the underrated talent of Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, and Michael Ealy.

It was okay, really kind of bland. To paraphrase the supporting actors' words ---"you two are BOOOOORING" when describing the leads. This is why you should pass on seeing this in the theater. They are some funny moments. But the tension in the main characters' relationship makes no sense, there isn't any. No story line or development to the rise and fall of their relationship. This is only worth seeing if you really love and/or are crushing on any of the four actors starring in the movie. That said Kevin Hart and Regina Hall are hilarious, but it's not enough to save this movie. Okay date movie if nothing else is playing. Skip it, you've been warned.

Bernie (Kevin Hart) tells his best friend Danny (Michael Ealy) about last night with Joan (Regina Hall). She's also telling her roommate Debbie (Joy Bryant). They go out on a double date. Bernie and Joan are the wild ones. Danny and Debbie are jaded from all the bad relationships. They hook up anyways and despite reservations, they fall into a relationship.

Kevin Hart and Regina Hall are hilarious together. Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant are a bit bland together. Their romance is rather boring. So the movie is half good. It's lot of fun to have Hart and Hall have their all out fights. I just wish that Ealy has some more energy to pump up his relationship. The sidekicks are better than the leads.

I generally do not enjoy remakes, especially if it is a remake of a movie that was done right the first time. In my opinion if something is done right, why do it a second time? Do you make dinner, take a bite, bask in its deliciousness, then make another dinner? I don't know about you, but I sure do not. Anyway, I digress. 'About Last Night' which is a remake of a 1986 movie of the same name is one of the handful of exceptions to my remake indifference, and a pretty entertaining movie.

Anyone who is a fan of Kevin Hart will appreciate his acting in this movie, one because he doesn't seem to be acting at all, and two, he won't shut up…but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. The dialogue in the movie is definitely its strength. Aside from the four main characters I was pretty indifferent to the rest of the cast, excluding some minor moments with Joe Lo Truglio (Wet Hot American Summer) and Christopher McDonald (Shooter!). Each couple is unique in their own way, one cute and passionate, the other well…angry and sex obsessed, but they both work for different reasons.

The main focus of the movie is making that leap from a one night stand to a relationship. It's 2014, just because two people are having sex, it does not make them a couple. So how do you know when a one night stand reaches fu..uh fun buddy status, or if you are in a relationship? It is all mental. To be in a relationship you have to be mentally ready to commit to someone else, which is what the couples in the movie struggle with for an hour and forty minutes. Does it become predictable? Of course it does, there are no new themes in writing, but did I get bored? No. I think that a good romantic comedy keeps your attention even though it is evident what will happen in the movie. In 'Romeo and Juliet' Shakespeare tells us what is going to happen on the first page, but we keep reading, and I assure you that movies are no different than books.

The only reason I watched this film was, I'll admit, because of Kevin Hart. I really liked him in Ride Along, and wanted to see him on the screen again and was interested in seeing him in an ensemble type movie such as this was. Well, I just finished watching this film at the theater and this is what I'll say; it was a funny film for sure, Hart was funny as expected and he was coupled up with the extremely hilarious as well, Regina Hall. Together they were comedy gold and an extreme delight to watch. This film isn't just about humility though, it has a dramatic, serious side shown through the relationship of Michael Ealy & Joy Bryant, who I love on the NBC television show Parenthood. Both of these Actors were great to see as well, and from their story I found myself thinking about my own past relationships and how they all turned out. So defiantly a more relatable experience for sure. With all that said, I don't believe this film added anything new to this type of film genre, but that doesn't make it bad, just that it was entertaining and easily forgettable. I recommend renting this if you have to see it. Cheers!