Few have cashed in quite like Kevin Hart. I don’t know when he learned that could be in a new film every.single.week, but when Kevin found out, that became his mission in life. There are worse missions. Not many. But there are a few.
Bernie (Hart) and Danny (Michael Ealy) are friends. Male heterosexual friends who like to play kiss ‘n’ tell. Well, Bernie plays. Kevin Hart is quite good at talking and his Bernie alter ego sees sex as a calling. About Last Night begins with a he said/she said Bernie version v. last night’s date, Joan (Regina Hall). The back and forth is spliced so that the explicit dialogue punch lines are consistently abbreviated, only to be voiced in sync by the partner. It’s clever-ish, but suggests a desire to hide the R rating, which is exactly what this film has no wish to do. Joan and roommate Debbie (Joy Bryant) are on their way to the bar to meet the boys. So … the date went well then, did it?
Bernie is an alcoholic. Joan is an alcoholic. Danny is probably and alcoholic. Jury’s still out on Debbie. Just wanted to point that out now as conversations almost all take place in somebody’s apartment where alcohol is being served, or in bars, where alcohol is being funneled. The movie itself might be a little alarmed for someone to arrive at this conclusion – seemed natural to me; I figured that it takes a certain amount of alcohol to get to the “bedding Kevin Hart” stage, but what do I know?
Bernie is a classic fool; he knows what he wants immediately in the moment (often wild, crazy sex) and never settles for less. Danny is a more subtle fool; he sacrifices immediate pleasure for getting really hurt somewhere down the road. The 
contrast is exploited as Joan and Bernie have a loud drunken sex party in public view of their comically-reserved and horror-stricken friends. In their wake, Danny and Debbie hit it off. About Last Night is really their love story – the dawn and the death of which are much more fully realized than Bernie and Joan. The film lives and dies with your love of this couple. Can you take Danny’s labored commitment? Can you take Debbie’s inflexibility? The sad part is we know this union is going down in flames eventually because it started far too high. The annoying part is there isn’t good reason for it – the parties are each just a tad too immature.
Is this a tale of caution? There’s a lot of “every guy” in Danny and “every gal” in Debbie. About Last Night is a film about giving romance another chance, which in a way makes this the most cynical and depressing comedy in quite some time. Sooner or later, everybody knows he or she is gonna get hurt, badly, and everybody still plays the game. Are we all moths to a flame? Junkies to crack? Me to a Tyler Perry film? Bernie gets hurt, but gets right back out there the next day to get hurt again. Debbie gets hurt and hides herself and yet when it comes down to it, she still puts herself out there to get hurt again, too. Maybe that’s what I liked About Last Night – you ARE going to get hurt, BUT if you face it with a sense of adventure and a positive attitude and some humor, you, too, can get hurt again.
♪I think about me all the time
I’m my fantasy
Not sure how adults make this climb
Dating relentlessly
Well, my libido’s runnin’ wild
Desire’s getting nearer …
This time it’ll take at least a fortnight
No way she’s gonna go today
This time everything is sleazy
Any day – we’re going for “depraved”♫
Rated R, 100 Minutes
D: Steve Pink
W: Leslye Headland
Genre: The endless cycle of disappointing relationships
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Sadistic voyeurs
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Modern love disbelievers
♪ Parody Inspired by “This Time”
