When it comes to romantic comedies, an R-rating can make a world of difference. about Last Night is one of the most hilarious, foul-mouthed and brutally honest rom-coms in ages and is also a remake of the 1986 film which itself was loosely based on David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago. The male and female relationship experiences clash joyously here as they do in Steve Pink’s Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) or Leslye Headland’s Bachelorette (2012), using crude language to recall the conversational naturalism of films such as ’60s Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and more recent indie romances. Katherine Heigl and Nicolas Sparks have been dominating this genre for half a decade, so About Last Night might represent something else entirely.
Danny (Michael Ealy) and Bernie (Kevin Hart) are best friends, co-workers, and single guys looking for love; though Bernie has another less respectable name for it but never mind… since this is a family-friendly web site. Danny still assumes that he will not be able to plunge into the pool of dating again after his breakup with Alison, who had become quite domineering over him. They keep going together because it’s what bro code says about their sex addictions respectively. Upon meeting Joan (Regina Hall), Bernie’s latest obsession, Danny falls head-over-heels for her roommate Debbie (Joy Bryant). They both know they’ve been lied to by each other when Bernie drags Joan into one of clubs’ restrooms where they continue making out heavily while Danny takes things further with Debbie albeit they are highly reserved people. A perfect night leads to more perfect nights leads to perfect days leads to the makings of a long-term relationship that neither expect or maybe even want.
About Last Night is all talk – talks we only hold within our relationships: with our partners; with our best friends; and with the bartender down at the local. This is a welcome departure from the usual tomfooleries, made infinitely pleasurable by Hart and Hall’s comedic genius mixed with the innocent Ealy and Bryant’s sincerity. It’s easy to see when they’ve been together in movies such as Think Like a Man that Headland has a feel for intimate language.
Men talk like men (it’s only here that you can get away with quasi-misogynistic bitching about dating anorexic chicks), women talk like women (“I’m like an ambulance bringing back to life road accident victim!” Joan about last night’s oral sex), and couples, when they are finally together, become as open, gushy, and introspective as they should be. When it becomes monotonous having sex with another person then rock-paper-scissor may decide who goes on top.
As Danny and Debbie take off Bernie and Joan go through a bitter public breakup About Last Night attains that predictable groove that is no less relatable. After That Awkward Moment last month tried to raise the serious relationships contemporary dilemma but exploded into mushroom cloud of male chauvinism, About Last Night comes along doing it right. Despite their strong feelings for each other Danny and Debbie fight over future conflicts. Some warning comments from Bernie or Joan make things worse for them.
Headland and Pink maneuver this arch easily, leading their characters to all the undefined places where life unexpectedly turns. A Halloween party is Cinderella’s Ball; Debbie’s office party, the first time Danny meets her coworkers, is a boiler room; And a night out with the boys — shots and shots and more shots — is a nail in the coffin that neither half of the couples minds hammering in. Ealy and Bryant play it all casually, sucking us into their lives like we’re staring into a mirror. To ensure we never drown in seriousness, Hart and Hall come rip-roaring off the sidelines as adept supporting players. It would be easy to build a movie around their quarreling fetishists — too easy. About Last Night reaches for something more.
About Last Night has some slow moments when its narrative goes off course from its strong character pairings. Paula Patton appears briefly as Alison, who hopes to seduce Danny into her web. This silly aside would have felt like a cameo if Patton didn’t play drunk throughout it all. But it’s one of few instances where the film falters as it remains understatedly hysterical throughout.
Verdict
This romantic comedy genre has had enough of movies that revolve around women but do not make sense at all; instead this genre needs more movies with dialogue so real that they are hardly present in any other film especially for those people who love American-English conversations such as “Good Will Hunting” (1997) or “Erin Brockovich” (2000). It also provides plenty of laughs courtesy of cast members Kevin Hart and Regina Hall.
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