When it comes to trends in music and
fashion, things always seem to come back around. That shirt you wore ten years
ago or that music you use to listen to in High School becomes vogue again, and
at the same time reminds you how old you are. Well movies always come back
around in the form of remakes or reboots. Well, many people love a good portion
of the films of the 1980’s, and studios know this, so they have started to mine
the 80’s properties and attempted to put a new spin on them. Just in the last
two years we’ve had a remake of “Red Dawn”, “Footloose”, “Total Recall”, and
“Robocop”. The thinking is, put a hot young star in it and you get audiences
young and old in the seats, unfortunately for us most of them never go over
that well. So how do you take something old and make it new and fresh again?
Well let the makers of “About Last Night” show you.
Based on a 1986
film starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore about dating and relationships and the
fun they can bring. Danny (Michael Ealy) and Bernie (Kevin Hart) are just two of
your average single guys in Los Angeles. They both work as kitchen supply
salesman and hit the town together, where Bernie is on the prowl every night.
Bernie meets Joan (Regina Hall) and their passion instantly ignites, where no
position or place is too daring. Joan brings along her roommate Debbie (Joy
Bryant) with the hope that her and Danny would hit it off. The plan works too
well when Joan and Danny not only hit it off, but begin a relationship that
eventually leads to living together and even a dog. While Danny and Debbie’s relationship
soars, Joan and Bernie’s cool down, but the good thing is like this film, both
relationships go out of style, but come back again.
Love and
relationships is a tricky thing, just ask any single person, but so is remaking
a movie. “About Last Night” got it right though. While in the original Lowe and
Moore were by all means the reason for the movie, the new one reverses it. The characters
Bernie and Joan, played originally by James Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins, have
been put in the forefront. What you get from Ealy and Bryant is okay, but Hart
and Hall are much better and even funnier. Some thanks of course goes to
Director Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine) with an updated script by Leslye
Headland. There are enough relevant
laughs to keep the story moving along its hour and forty running time.
While I enjoyed the trailer, my only fear was that it
would end up like Kevin Hart’s recent disaster on wheels “Ride Along”. Most of
the funny parts of that one you would have already seen in the preview, here
you get plenty more than what was shown on the TV spots. The movie is
originally based off a David Mamet play called “Sexual Perversity in Chicago”
so based on that alone you knew there had to be some good in there. That and
the fact that it’s about relationships on film, which is almost always timeless. So if you’re looking
for the perfect Valentine’s Day movie to take your loved one to? Well “About
Last Night” is one you will both enjoy, and who knows it might bring back memories
about those nights of being single.
Brian Taylor
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