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Sodas & Popcorn – Movie Review: About Last Night
Sigh. This was supposed to be a Lego movie review but then my Superman powers are seasonal. I ended up being stuck with About Last Night. So here we are with the review of the hit comedy staring the latest black star and rave of the moment Kevin Hart.
Directed by: Steve Pink (Accepted, Hot Tub Time Machine)
Written by: Leslye Headland (Bachelorette *Sorry. That’s all I could come up with*)
Principal Actors: Kevin Hart (Think Like A Man, Soul Plane, Ride Along), Michael Ealy (Think Like A Man *again*, Barbershop 1&2, For Colored Girls), Regina Hall (*yeuuup! you ‘guessed’ that right* Think Like A Man *yet again*, The Best Man Holiday) and Joy Bryant (Honey, The Skeleton Key)
Synopsis
About Last Night is a film based on the 1974 David Mamet play Sexual Perversity in Chicago and a remake of the 1986 film of the same name.
It’s a story of two couples as they journey from the bar to the bedroom and are eventually put to the test in the real world.
Script
You see the synopsis up there? That’s pretty much all there is in the script. Bar, Bedroom, Bathroom…bada boom, bada bang, and the cycle goes on and on and on and…you get the picture by now don’t you?
First lesson. Do not judge a movie by its trailer or its poster. Looks can really be deceiving. I had high hopes for this one, but I was disappointed. Don’t get me wrong. It had all the perks of the usual Kevin Hart flick, laughs and all. Not so funny, but funny enough.
There was so much nudity going on though, and not to forget the strong language…parents, kindly take note. Ain’t nobody under 16 be seeing this one, nuh-uh.
Guess I’ve laid the basics all on the table. So let me break the review down as usual.
Don’t know if it’s just me but it seemed like it was running out of lines and scenery and kinda just became a blur towards the end. Some parts just seemed too off-balance. For example, the pacing of the move wasn’t the best for me. We didn’t really have a clear definition how time was being spent. In some scenes you cant help but wonder if these guys have been together for days or months. They could have detailed that a little better.
I won’t bore you over with the details cause it’s the same old love storyline where everything seems perfect and then someone gets hurt and then they get back together yada yada yada and all that, and please don’t get me wrong. I’m quite a fan of romantic movies and here is an evidence, but I’d rather you surprise me still. Give me something out of the usual and then I’d be super satisfied. It did have some good add ins to it. Although not spectacular but different. It was so predictable I feel I am being cheated by my name not being in the credits for writing the story.
SEE ALSO: Grand Gestures: Sodas and Popcorn’s 10 Most Romantic Movie Scenes
But still…in a nutshell it wasn’t so bad. It’s a movie for couples to go see together because half the time you will be making out and the other half, you will still understand the movie and have a good laugh at the little man (Kevin Hart). Bad enough to spend my 1000 bucks on but not bad enough to sit through it all. Patience is a virtue.
Directing
Steve Pink gives us the usual mix of comedy and romance and he is quite good at it. Comparing it however with his past works was below the belt for me. It was just too…what’s the word? Plain. Yeah.
But in his words, the idea was for the movie was for it to be ‘simple and grounded’. And he sure did deliver simple and grounded with this one.
Plus Steve incorporating a predominantly black cast as a way of making it ‘seem’ more modern and giving it another twist in relation to its predecessors was a nice move. Just like the remake of Death at a Funeral. Funny stuff!
Acting
Michael Ealy as Danny (initially played by Rob Lowe) Not-so-confident but loveable. Kevin Hart as Bernie (initially played by James Belushi). Talkative. Overreacting. Somewhat emotional sidekick. Joy Bryant as Debbie (initially portrayed by Demi Moore). Opinionated but yet subtle. Regina Hall as Joan (initially portrayed by Elizabeth Perkins). Loud. Overbearing but soft-hearted. Kinda like her role as Candace in The Best Man Holiday.
Their acts were nothing beyond the usual. I would say they all played within their usual comfort zones (exclusive of Joy cause I haven’t seen much of her on the big screen) But they all get my shrug of approval anyway.
Although I must give Ealy some credit. He being 40 years at the time the movie was released (I know right? 40 and still so fit *swoons*) he had to lose 25 pounds to play the role of a 28 year old. I’m just really impressed when actors go the extra mile to magnify the concept of a piece. Shows how much they love doing what they do best.
Verdict
Popcorn and Hotdog. That did it for me. Nothing more, nothing less.
I’m still bedazzled at the fact that this movie grossed $25.6 million. That’s second place after The Lego Movie. And as at February 26th, it has grossed $39.9 million.
There’s probably more to it that meets the eye. Maybe I should see it again and succumb to what all the fuss is about. But definitely behind a laptop monitor this time around.
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