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Film Review – About Last Night

Director: Steve Pink
Screenplay: David Mamet
Cast: Kevin Hart, Michael Early, Regina Hall and Joy Bryant
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Ratings: ****

About Last Night is based on the 1986 film, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, but the twist is that this time the remake features black actors in the lead roles. The film is about new love and it closely follows two couples as they journey from the bar to the bedroom and how they face the world and its obstacles.
The two couples are Bernie (Kevin Hart) and Joan (Regina Hall), Danny (Micheal Early) and Debbie (Joy Bryant). The couples first meet on a double date after Bernie and Joan have a one nigh stand and they decide to bring their two best friends to come join them for their second date. Bernie brings along Danny his colleague and best friend, and Joan brings along Debbie her roommate. While Bernie and Joan are loud and say whatever they want to before thinking, Danny and Debbie are more reticent and thoughtful.
At the end of the double date Bernie and Joan reconnect and eventually decide to be a couple but they keep on breaking up and getting back together. Danny and Debbie also connect but decide just to be friends with mutual benefits because both of them are coming out of bad relationships and they do not want to complicate issues. But, as with all love stories, eventually it gets serious for both couples and the usual hurdles and adversity follow.

The rest of the film revolves around the clever and not so clever strategies the two couples employ to get beyond the difficult parts. This is a nice romantic comedy that has a happy ending, and I enjoyed watching it. It is particularly pleasing to see Kevin Hart play a semi-serious role. He does not take his trademark funniness over the top in this role. This new, deeper dimension to Hart’s acting does wonders for his stage persona since his Jim Carey copy image can sometimes look fake. Micheal Early, – what do I say about this yellow boned brother with crystal clear blue eyes? My my, I did not even notice his acting, I was just drooling over him. And as for the ladies, Regina Hall did a fantastic job with her part, I have never seen her play a sassy and funny character like this, since she always plays the meek and vulnerable black woman. Joy Bryant’s portrayal was mediocre but I think that is what the director wanted out of her character. I love it when a romantic film has a happy ending. I do not know why sometimes the writer wants to put a twist to a film and decides that at the end, the couple is not going to live happily ever after. If that is the plot then do not call the film a romantic film, call it a tragedy. Because if I look at the genre of a film before watching it and it says romance, I expect there to be a happy ending. Therefore girls, go watch this movie or rather go watch it with your friends and enjoy. It will also make you realise you need to work hard to make any relationship work and that you should not give up on the person you love. The reviews About Last Night were largely positive and critics found the film satisfying but also too familiar. Isn’t that what romance is supposed to be?

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