If you’re a little late to the Valentine’s Day movie scene, and you’re looking for a casual laugh, the romantic comedy “About Last Night” is a smart choice.

“About Last Night,” a remake of a 1986 comedy of the same name, focuses on two contrasting couples’ relationships, and how they develop and change over the course of a year. Though the film addresses important topics, like moving in together and fighting, in a serious manner, its overall tone is jovial and light.

The movie begins with two versions of the same story, as Bernie (Kevin Hart) and Joan (Regina Hall) separately recall the previous night to their friends Danny (Michael Ealy) and Debbie (Joy Bryant), respectively. It was a good way to bring the audience in, since viewers wanted to hear how Bernie and Joan each spun the story to impress their friends, as it’s revealed that they are talking about their experience with one another. The sequence also gave viewers a good feel for each character and the relationships they had with their friends.

Bernie and Joan are bringing their other friends to their regular bar so that they can all meet up and get to know one another. In what makes for a funny setup, Bernie and Joan get drunk, whereas Danny and Debbie are more hesitant, but begin talking to one another.

This was a common theme throughout the romantic comedy, as Hart and Hall would get drunk and argue about comical minutiae that often go beyond what is acceptable to discuss in public. Throughout the film, Hart and Hall were able to push each other to higher levels of goofiness, resulting in some screamingly funny scenes.

The moments between Bernie and Joan were easily the most enjoyable moments of the film, as they allowed Hart to show off his quick and yappy style, and Hall to react in outrageous and over-the-top fashions. Of course, head writer Leslyle Headland also incorporated physical comedy into Bernie and Joan’s relationship, as Hart stands three inches shorter than Hall’s 5-foot-5-inch height.

While Bernie and Joan go drink-for-drink, Danny and Debbie engage in a more realistic, mature conversation. It is clear that the two are attracted to each other, and the two end up spending the night together. This dynamic was the source of many of the film’s laughs — when Bernie and Joan were kicking and screaming, Danny and Debbie represented a much more realistic couple going through the motions of a relationship.

Though it was nice to have the more realistic backdrop against Bernie and Joan’s craziness, Ealy and Bryant were unable to foster the kind of chemistry that Hart and Hall had. The scenes between the two were forced, and seemed like they were only there to set up the next punch line from the other characters.

Individually, however, both actors were satisfactory. Ealy, whose character struggles with commitment issues and the baggage from relationships past, was able to show a good amount of confusion and frustration with both the relationship and his job. Bryant smartly played Debbie with the type of go-getting demeanor that can turn intense, and eventually overbearing, in a relationship.

Director Steven Pink also incorporated a lot of the quirks of the dating scene. There were a lot of funny conversations between both the men and women in preparation for dates and other events. For example, Bernie hilariously lamented Danny’s decision to let Debbie move in with him, and Joan desperately tried to convince Debbie that getting a dog was a bad idea.

Though the film did present some of the situational aspects of relationships well, there was not much of a plot beyond that. Bernie and Joan would fight and make up, and Danny and Debbie would fight. Though a plotline is admittedly not the most important thing for this type of romantic comedy to have, it didn’t seem the characters were up much against anything except for themselves.

“About Last Night” might not be the perfect movie, but it is a heartwarming and enjoyable romantic comedy. And you’ll be sure to laugh throughout the entire 100 minutes.

Published on February 26, 2014 at 1:00 am