Plot: What’s it about?
I admit that I had low pretty low expectations for About Last Night, a remake of the 1986 film of the same name. The trailers simply didn’t appeal to me and, while I have vague memories of the original film, I remember liking it well enough that I didn’t feel it warranted a remake. Not to mention that I generally can’t stand Kevin Hart. I understand he has a pretty massive fan-base, but I’m just not one of them. Much to my surprise, however, the film was quite enjoyable. Also surprising is that Hart is actually tolerable here. The film begins with two interconnecting scenes where we see both, the Kevin Hart and Michael Ealy characters discussing their dates. A lot of the back and forth between these two friends crosses over with that of a couple of the female characters. I imagine some will either be quickly put off by this opening, finding it too clever for its own good. Or you might be like me and be more than willing to go with it. I had an early fear that the film began so strongly that it would likely go downhill quickly. To be fair, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it, but it does grow more conventional as it goes on.
Kevin Hart plays Bernie. He’s hooked up with Joan (Regina Hall) before and soon, a double date puts Danny (Ealy) and Allison (Paula Patton) in a relationship. At first, the date is somewhat awkward and uncomfortable for both Danny and Allison, but eventually the two of them warm up to each other and before long, Allison moves in with Danny. Bernie and Joan are the more adventurous of the two couples. I won’t reveal some of the sexual things they do, but some of those scenes lost me. It falls into the “Too much information” category, but I suppose the filmmakers felt it would be amusing to show. As I mentioned, I enjoyed much of this film, but it’s just too predictable to warrant more than a single viewing. I could see every fight, every argument, every break-up coming a mile away. The cast is great here though, with Hart and Hall having some fun moments. Ealy and Patton play the more serious couple and while they have some nice scenes together, they’re simply not as interesting as the other two. Watch for the scene where Danny and Allison are watching TV and the original About Last Night is playing. I found that nod to the original film kind of fun to see. You could do a lot worse than this film. There are better romantic comedies out there, but it gets a lot of things right and the cast certainly help elevate the material. There are a few slow spots and if you’ve seen any romantic comedy in the past several decades then you’ll know how things will play out. Still, it’s hard to complain when the film remains a lot of fun and doesn’t ask a lot of its audience. Rent it.
Video: How’s it look?
Sony continues to do fine work here. We get an AVC encoded image (2.40:1) and detail is strong and consistent throughout. This is a new film so we shouldn’t expect anything less than excellent and it delivers. Admittedly, this isn’t a flashy film, but the image serves it well. Background shots are strong and the L.A. Setting is given plenty of attention. A lot of the scenes transition with animated images time and again and they are well distinguished here. This transfer should satisfy fans.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD track gets the job done. There’s no need to expect an overly robust track, but I highly doubt anyone would expect that with a film of this nature. What it does do is serve the film as it should. There are instances where the surrounds are given good use from the busy streets of the city to the club scenes. The music comes through loud and clear on a number of occasions. Vocals sound as they should, loud and clear. Like the transfer, this track serves the film well.
Supplements: What are the extras?
DVD Extras
- An Un-Romantic comedy – This is a pretty standard behind the scenes look featuring interviews with the cast and crew. It compares scenes to the original film as well.
- Previews
Blu-ray Exclusives
- Word on the Street – Is just a short feature that features random people discussing the rules of dating, the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” so to speak.
- I Love You – This is nothing more than a short discussion of the words “I Love You”. It’s fairly useless, really.
- About Last Night Advice – This is really more of the same as we hear from the cast about some relationship advice.
