It's Funny To Talk 'About Last Night'

By Darlene Donloe

There is no reason to do an updated version of a movie that’s considered a classic, unless you have something new to offer or something new to show.

In About Last Night, which opened nationwide on Valentine’s Day, the message may very well be that the success or failure of a relationship has absolutely nothing to do with whether you’re straight, gay, rich or poor, white or, oh, Lawd….black. A bad relationship is a bad relationship no matter the makeup of the couple.  

About Last Night is a modern reimagining of the classic 1986 romantic comedy that starred Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jim Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins.

This time around, Michael Ealy, Joy Bryant, Regina Hall, and Kevin Hart take over the drama and the comedy. Ealy and Bryant is one couple. Hall and Hart is another.

Of course, the story hasn’t changed. Just like any other romantic comedy we have boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy and girl have a fight, boy and girl break up and of course, (**Spoiler Alert**) by the end of the film, boy gets girl again. The film follows two couples as they journey from the bar to the bedroom and are eventually put to the test in the real world. Both relationships ring true. The film shows how quickly things can work and how quickly they can fall apart.

There really isn’t anything new in the film, except that Kevin Hart and Regina Hall bring a load of laughs both in scenes when they’re fighting, as well as their bedroom scenes.

Hart, whose film career is on fire, brings his patented, rapid-fire cadence.

About Last Night doesn’t pretend to be any more than what it is. It’s a nice, funny, energetic, romantic comedy. It’s a great date movie that both men and women will have fun viewing.

When Ealy and Bryant’s characters meet, it’s clear there is some chemistry happening. Hall and Hart are also a twosome, but their relationship is fiery, volatile and loud. 

However, if not for Hall and Hart, this movie could fall flat. Hall and Hart go at it hard. One wonders if it was scripted or if it was a free for all. Regardless of what it was, the audience wins.  Hart is a comic genius, but Hall matches him barb for barb.

About Last Night, directed by Steve Pink, stars Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant. The cast also includes Christopher McDonald, Adam Rodriguez, Joe Lo Truglio, Paula Patton, Mehcad Brooks and Terrell Owens.

About Last Night is Rated R; running time: 100 min.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (OK) and E (excellent), About Last Night gets an O (OK).