Director: Steve Pink
Stars: Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, Christopher McDonald
About Last Night follows the relationships of two couples. Bernie (Hart) and Joan (Hall) are passionate and their relationship is rocky, whereas Danny (Ealy) and Debbie (Bryant) seem more compatible, although both are scarred from previous relationships. For the better part of a year the film shows us how these relationships develop as circumstances in their lives change, providing a look at love that isn’t glamourised.
When I started watching About Last Night I wasn’t sure whether I would like it or not, but I was quickly swept up in the energy of the movie. The film shifted quickly been the men and the women talking about a previous date, and once the four were on screen together the film had my attention until its conclusion. The chemistry between the actors sells the movie, and it’s probably the strongest aspect. Bernie and Joan’s relationship is mostly played for laughs and Kevin Hart is let loose with his manic, machine gun fire words. To her credit Hall gives as good as she gets, making their storyline filled with humorous moments and a lot of over-the-top insults.
That relationship mainly serves to provide a respite from the main source of drama, Danny and Debbie. The two of them are tentative about entering into a relationship but they quickly fall in love. However, their paradise falls away around them as the rigours of the world take their toll. The two of them are much more grounded than Hart and Hall, so the emotional weight of the film rests on their shoulders but they both do a good job. When it comes to romantic films I like it when there isn’t a clear villain, and although Danny comes off worses it’s not as though I can say that either of them are bad people, the relationship just goes through a rocky patch and it’s up to them whether the want to work through it or not.
There is a subplot about a bar as well, for Danny and Bernie help supply their regular bar, run by long time friend Casey (McDonald). This was okay, but one of the main plot points focused on him not being able to pay his bills, and yet it seems to be dealt with off-screen, which I found odd. I’m not sure whether the writer intended any subtext here, but the idea of renovating a bar and injecting it with new ideas could be seen as a reflection on how relationships should work, although perhaps I am reading too much symbolism here because really the commentary on modern relationships is lacking, and it’s the one major complaint I have.
I like the fact that it deals with relationships in a mature way and shows the more practical side of them that often gets glossed over in movies, yet it doesn’t go far enough in my opinion. There was an opportunity to critique modern sensibilities regarding romance that was missed, and this is to the films detriment because really, the ground it treads has been covered before and the situations are fairly common in any number of films and sitcoms, it’s just that here they’re presented with dramatic intent instead of comedic.
The directing is good and paces the film perfectly. There are some nice scene transitions that reminded me a little bit of (500) Days of Summer and visual cues are used to call back to earlier points of the film, which I appreciated. Overall About Last Night is an entertaining movie that, while isn’t as fresh as it perhaps wants to be, offers a mature take on relationships. The energy of the cast breathes life into the familiar situations so it’s one that’s worth watching.