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| photo courtesy of averagesocialite.com |
In Night School, salesman Teddy (Kevin Hart) sets out to get his GED
after a freak explosion destroys the store where he worked. To pass the test,
he’ll have to attend a local night school led by a tough teacher named Carrie
(Tiffany Haddish). At first, Teddy has a hard time; he doesn’t understand the
material, he doesn’t fit in with the other eccentric students, and he doesn’t
get along with the school principle (Taren Killam). But once Teddy learns to
let go of his insecurities, he and his classmates rise to the challenge.
Night School
will probably make you laugh… but you probably won’t remember it in two weeks. Early
on, the movie settles for something comfortably middle of the road; it keep the
jokes coming, but on the other hand, it doesn’t exactly have a high bar for
humor. In one scene, for instance, Hart and Haddish conclude a conversation by
exchanging a series of goofy faces. Rob Riggle (who plays one of Teddy’s
classmates) spends the movie’s runtime just sort of being dumber than everyone
else. In many places, it’s quantity over quality.
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| photo courtesy of movieweb.com |
At the same time, there’s
no denying Night School is funny. Hart
and Haddish both have a strong comedic presence, and when you put them
together, you’re going to get something worthwhile. The movie’s at its best
when it recognizes that and lets them interact together, as in one sequence
(included in the trailer) where they fight in an MMA ring. They’ve got physical
comedy chops to spare. The supporting cast has a harder time earning laughs (and
receives way too much screen-time) but they still have their moments. If you
can embrace Night School’s goofy
sense of humor, then, you can probably forgive its weaker moments.
Night School’s
more blatant flaws come from the script. Granted, nobody goes to a movie like Night School to see a compelling story/character
arc, but having one would certainly help its case. Here, however, the movie’s
premise gets stretched far beyond its conceivable limits in terms of both
screen-time (it’s long and poorly paced) and content (it includes a hearty
helping of throwaway scenes). Even the moral of the story—though surprisingly
touching—gets sacrificed for laughs when the solution to Teddy’s learning
disabilities is to beat the crap out of him. So while Night School might make you laugh, it won’t go down as one of Hart’s
or Haddish’s stronger efforts.
TRAILER
Watch the trailer here.
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| photo courtesy of nytimes.com |
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