Remakes, remakes, remakes. Honestly, I don’t get the hate…if they’re bad you can forget them, if they’re good you get a fresh take on a great story. Thankfully About Last Night, a remake of a 80s romantic (?) comedy starring Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, falls into the latter category. Starring Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, and Joy Bryant, About Last Night follows to distinctly different couples in their journey through the complicated world of modern dating. Bernie (Kevin Hart) brings his best friend Danny (Michael Ealy) on a follow-up date with his one night stand Joan (Regina Hall) who, of course, also brings her best friend Debbie (Joy Bryant). While Bernie and Joan pursue partying and wild sex Danny and Debbie, both reeling from previous bad relationships, find each other in a much more sweet and romantic way. Prior to watching the movie I wondered how it would strike the same notes as the original, a saucy film for its time with A LOT of sex and nudity, stuff that doesn’t seem so shocking nowadays. What we get is one of the most honest and downright hilarious, thanks mostly to Hart and Hall, date movies that I’ve seen in a very long time.
Bad things…hmmm….well, I guess the only thing I can say is that it gives a rather unrealistic impression of what we should expect, visually, in the modern dating world. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that everyone is ridiculously good looking. Outside of that the only real pseudo-complaint I have is that when the trouble arises in Danny and Debbie’s relationship it really seems to come out of nowhere. Basically Danny doesn’t think he’s good enough for Debbie and becomes really insecure, but the way it’s played out there is no subtle ramp up…just one day he’s pissed off all of the time and tells her he never loved her.
Now the good stuff, this paragraph will be much longer. Kevin Hart, who has solidified his place as the funniest actor working with this movie, is at the top of his game as Bernie, the cocky party hardy friend who ridicules Danny for falling in love but flips the script as soon as that ball is in his court. We all know that guy, the one who always calls you out for being whipped but gives in completely when his time comes. Now Kevin Hart alone can make a movie, but the real cream in this coffee comes from his pairing with Regina Hall’s Joan, who is basically a female Bernie. We’ve all known Hall as a completely capable comedic presence all the way back to Scary Movie, but seeing her opposite Hart puts her to a whole new level. They are equals on every level and the movie jumps into the stratosphere of laughs a minute when they get going together, when you see it…and you SHOULD see it, look for the Halloween party scene for the best example of why these two should always work together.
Then you have Danny and Debbie, the sweeter side of the story. This is where the real heart of the story lies and the reason it gets a place at the “Valentine’s Date Movie” table. The way the story plays out is simply perfect (aside from the earlier mentioned unearned break-up scene…that’s not a spoiler you knew there would be one), it’s sweet but not sugary and has an honest angle that sets it apart from most love stories. This is that rare occasion where you see a movie love story that feels real and not like an idealized version of some Disney fairytale. As odd as this sounds the credit goes to the little things that Ealy and Bryant do, specifically their body language and facial expressions. A small smile here, a sarcastic joke there, as in life it’s the little things that cultivated true love and this movie gets that. Lastly they manage to work in playful sex without making it feel cheap…that may be the most honest part. Far too often in movies when a romantic couple get down to business it’s always the slow, sweet, lit candles and incense kind of love making. While that’s not devoid from their relationship more often than not it starts with a “Damn girl, you’re looking good in those pants” type situation and, if we’re being honest, isn’t that more real? One final negative aspect that I feel I must include and it’s really more of a compliment to the film itself…just something for the guys to be aware of. Your wife/girlfriend WILL be thinking about Ealy at some point in the next day or two. Not only is he a good looking, in-shape dude, but his character is about as close to the feminine ideal of how a man should be. Not only does he turn down a smoking hot Paula Patton who’s begging for it, but he gets her a puppy for God’s sake, thanks Danny for raising my wife’s expectations.I can’t recommend this movie enough. Not only is it a touching and honest look at relationships and the different ways people pursue them but it had me laughing, uncontrollably, throughout 80% of the movie. I can’t remember the last time a movie had me like that.
4 out of 5 Guttenbergs
