'About Last Night'

“About Last Night” is about an African-American quartet polarized into two separate couples. Bernie (Kevin Hart) and Danny (Michael Ealy), like Joan (Regina Hall) and Debbie (Joy Bryant), are best friends.

However, both pairs of friends have near-opposite personalities. The stark contrast between the two couples gives the movie balance.

After hooking up on the first night, Bernie and Joan drag their best friends along on their first real date.

Danny and Debbie are both conservative, and, despite their attractiveness and success, they are both single.

After Bernie chases Joan into the women’s restroom for a quickie, Danny — in true gentlemen fashion — walks Debbie outside, which leads to a passionate first-night hookup.

Bernie and Joan’s chaotic and sex-driven relationship is refreshing and provides some awkward but frequent laughs.

While the bedroom scenes are invasive, they break the mold of the typical “perfect” bedroom scenes. Instead of candles, bubble-baths and the missionary position, they give the audience the leg-over-the-head, dental fantasies and chicken masks.

Joan and Bernie relentlessly spew obscenities at each other throughout the entire movie. Although it’s vulgar, it’s refreshing and a large portion of the comedy in this film.

Seeing and hearing the vulgar verbal battles between Bernie and Joan is hilarious.
Unfortunately, this means all the comedy in “About Last Night” comes from a divided and fractured couple verbally abusing one another.

Hall matches Hart’s natural skill to discharge impromptu sexual obscenities and vile language one may hope isn’t used in real-life relationships. It is their constant and explosive bickering that leads to their break-up, but also leaves the audience rooting for their sexual rendezvous to evolve into a relationship.

Though Danny and Debbie aren’t funny, their relationship is initially therapeutic. They provide the audience some relief from the chaos of Bernie and Joan. They allow the audience to feel good about and root for love.

Danny and Debbie are a mature, composed and elegant couple. Their intimate moments conform to the typical Hollywood lovemaking scenes. Danny is calm, smooth and gentle — a nice contrast to his best friend Bernie.

Despite having sex their first time meeting, Danny and Debbie’s relationship resembles the conventional relationship. It is through their relationship the audience is able to witness the hurdles many couples are forced to overcome.

The nucleus of the plot lies within the dynamics of Danny and Debbie’s relationship. As we watch the predictable, and at times stagnant, ebb and flow of their relationship, it’s refreshing to see the chaotic and buffoonish distraction that is Bernie and Joan.

Bernie and Joan provide a refreshing chaotic twist in what would have been a traditional love story. Without their lewd behavior and flammable chemistry, this romantic comedy would have been your run-of-the-mill love story.

It has some of the most sexually explicit language I’ve ever heard in a film, or anywhere for that matter. But I appreciate how raw the dialogue is.

It’s a solid film with big laughs and vulgarity at its finest.