Night School
2.5/4
Starring: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Taran Killam, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Ben Schwartz
Rated PG-13 for Crude and Sexual Content Throughout, Language, Some Drug References and Violence
"Night School" is an inconsistent but at times uproarious comedy. When it works, the laughs are explosive. But the stuff in-between them is straight out of a limp sitcom or an after school special. The half dozen credited screenwriters could be the cause of the uneven nature of the film, since its leads, Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, are always on their game regardless of what the film is trying to do.
After panicking during a final exam, Teddy Walker (Hart) calls it quits. Years later, he's defied the odds to have the life that anyone would drool over. He's engaged to the wealthy bombshell Lisa (Echikunwoke), has plenty of money, and has just been handed the keys to the BBQ store where he is a master salesman. But with every rise, there is certain to be a fall. When the story goes up in flames (literally), he loses his main source of income. His buddy Marvin (Schwarts) promises him a job as a financial analyst as long as he gets his GED. Out of options, he attends night school at his would be alma mater. There are a few problems. One, his high school nemesis Stewart (Killam) is now a principal and rules with an iron fist (and a baseball bat). And two, his teacher Carrie (Haddish) is a foul mouthed live wire who takes none of Teddy's shit. Oh, and Lisa knows about none of this.\
The humor is wildly uneven. The classroom scenes are a scream, including a prison fight that brought down the house. But there is plenty of material that doesn't work. For example, the attempt to steal the midterm runs out of momentum far sooner than the segment ends. And as the street-talking principal with one hell of a grudge, Taran Killam is intimidating but fails to gain a laugh. Surprisingly, the dramatic subplots do work, since Hart, Haddish and Echikunwoke do well with light drama. But there are too many comic bits that are improvised that go on too long and weren't that funny to begin with.
The first time I saw Kevin Hart was in the wretched movie "Soul Plane." But he's growing on me to the point where seeing him on screen makes me smile. He's certainly more appealing than Seth Rogen or Judd Apatow's crowd. Today's "it girl" Tiffany Haddish continues to impress. She takes no prisoners and has enough sass and edge to make even something lame funny. She is a master of sarcasm and intimidation. No one will cross her, and in a war of wits, she will destroy her opponents. The classmates are your usual gallery of misfits and weirdos (few of which are memorable for the right reasons). And Megalyn Echikynwoke is as gorgeous as she is appealing; with the right material she could have a successful career. Keith David, no stranger to comedy or drama, is on hand but not nearly enough. A man that talented should have been afforded far more screen time.
"Night School" was directed by Malcolm D. Lee, who is the cousin of Spike Lee. His debut film, "The Best Man," was bland, but last year's "Girls Night" (which turned Haddish into a star), was a sleeper hit. "Night School" is too uneven to be in the same league, but it does have enough good moments to be worth a look at home. I think the case is that he, or someone else involved on the production level, wasn't sure what the film was supposed to be. A no-holds barred comedy? A feel good movie? A parody of one? The film doesn't know, and ultimately that proves to be its biggest failing.
Starring: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Taran Killam, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Ben Schwartz
Rated PG-13 for Crude and Sexual Content Throughout, Language, Some Drug References and Violence
"Night School" is an inconsistent but at times uproarious comedy. When it works, the laughs are explosive. But the stuff in-between them is straight out of a limp sitcom or an after school special. The half dozen credited screenwriters could be the cause of the uneven nature of the film, since its leads, Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, are always on their game regardless of what the film is trying to do.
After panicking during a final exam, Teddy Walker (Hart) calls it quits. Years later, he's defied the odds to have the life that anyone would drool over. He's engaged to the wealthy bombshell Lisa (Echikunwoke), has plenty of money, and has just been handed the keys to the BBQ store where he is a master salesman. But with every rise, there is certain to be a fall. When the story goes up in flames (literally), he loses his main source of income. His buddy Marvin (Schwarts) promises him a job as a financial analyst as long as he gets his GED. Out of options, he attends night school at his would be alma mater. There are a few problems. One, his high school nemesis Stewart (Killam) is now a principal and rules with an iron fist (and a baseball bat). And two, his teacher Carrie (Haddish) is a foul mouthed live wire who takes none of Teddy's shit. Oh, and Lisa knows about none of this.\
The humor is wildly uneven. The classroom scenes are a scream, including a prison fight that brought down the house. But there is plenty of material that doesn't work. For example, the attempt to steal the midterm runs out of momentum far sooner than the segment ends. And as the street-talking principal with one hell of a grudge, Taran Killam is intimidating but fails to gain a laugh. Surprisingly, the dramatic subplots do work, since Hart, Haddish and Echikunwoke do well with light drama. But there are too many comic bits that are improvised that go on too long and weren't that funny to begin with.
The first time I saw Kevin Hart was in the wretched movie "Soul Plane." But he's growing on me to the point where seeing him on screen makes me smile. He's certainly more appealing than Seth Rogen or Judd Apatow's crowd. Today's "it girl" Tiffany Haddish continues to impress. She takes no prisoners and has enough sass and edge to make even something lame funny. She is a master of sarcasm and intimidation. No one will cross her, and in a war of wits, she will destroy her opponents. The classmates are your usual gallery of misfits and weirdos (few of which are memorable for the right reasons). And Megalyn Echikynwoke is as gorgeous as she is appealing; with the right material she could have a successful career. Keith David, no stranger to comedy or drama, is on hand but not nearly enough. A man that talented should have been afforded far more screen time.
"Night School" was directed by Malcolm D. Lee, who is the cousin of Spike Lee. His debut film, "The Best Man," was bland, but last year's "Girls Night" (which turned Haddish into a star), was a sleeper hit. "Night School" is too uneven to be in the same league, but it does have enough good moments to be worth a look at home. I think the case is that he, or someone else involved on the production level, wasn't sure what the film was supposed to be. A no-holds barred comedy? A feel good movie? A parody of one? The film doesn't know, and ultimately that proves to be its biggest failing.
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