The film Night School has some funny moments, but overall it’s just another Kevin Hart comedy hour with a little heartfelt drama. Hopefully this won’t be the start of a down-slide that most over-exposed comedians find in their careers, because I do like Hart’s sense of humor. His cast does do a good job of taking some of focus off Hart, but in the end the film hardly makes an average grade. Repetitious of some of his other films, he becomes a sad sack kind of guy and that character is wearing itself out.
The story opens with teenage Teddy (Kevin Hart) not doing well in high school and he drops out. 17 years later he’s the number one salesman at a very successful BarBQue grill dealership. Making good money, has a gorgeous and successful girlfriend Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and a best friend Marvin (Ben Schwartz) Teddy’s on top of the world. While proposing to Lisa one night at the BarBQue store a propane tank explodes and destroys the business he was destined to take over. Without a job he asks Marvin if he can take him on at the firm at which he’s working. That’s not a problem Marvin tells him, as all he has to get is a GED. So begins Teddy’s quest to make it in the big leagues, but it won’t be all that easy as his no nonsense teacher Carrie (Tiffany Haddish) and his former bully now principal Stewart (Taran Killam) are road blocks he hadn’t counted on.
Notable Director Malcolm D. Lee, who brought the comedy/drama Barbershop: The Next Cut and the wacky comedy/drama Girls Trip to the screen, takes a chance at the Kevin Hart written Night School. However, if it weren’t for a class that included some very sharp comical actors, the film would have been a waste. Hart, does Hart and we get more and sometimes too much of his whining style that gets old half way through the film. If you have seen the films Ride Along, Central Intelligence and even Captain Underpants, you’ll get my drift. In addition the film may have been more tolerable had Lee cut 15 or 20 minutes out of the script. His ending looks more like a music video than a celebration of Teddy reaching his goal.
That said, I did like Tiffany Haddish’s (Uncle Drew) performance as the stern and determined teacher Carrie who has taken on a group of losers. She makes each of the class toe the line. And what a wacky class she has with nice comic acting by Rob Riggle as Mackenzie the High School’s BMOC, Romany Malco as Jaylen a telemarketer who lost his job to a robot, Al Madrigal as Luis a grudge carrying waiter who was canned because of Teddy, and Mary Lynn Rajskub as bored housewife Theresa who has come to Night School to escape her husband. With Carrie at the helm, it’s containing one screwball comment after another and that’s what makes this film funny.
Night School has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for crude and sexual content throughout, language, some drug references and violence. The violence may be sudden and a little scary for the immature, but a lot less than in Ride Along.
FINAL ANALYSIS: The comedy loses its impact too early on. (2 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Rob Riggle, Taran Killam, Romany Malco, Megalyn Echikunwoke
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Written by: Kevin Hart
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG – 13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language, some drug references and violence
Running Time: 1 hr. 51 min.
Opening Date: September 28, 2018
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
