Night School movie review

Grade: D for dumb

Rating: PG-13, 111 minutes

In a Nutshell: Night School is a remedial level comedy that fails. It’s actually the first feature film that Kevin Hart has written that isn’t a comedy special from his stand-up routines. The movie has a few laughs, but is mostly disappointing.

Tips for parents:

Some crude language.
Some violence.
LOTS of sexual jokes.
Pre-marital relations.
Dishonesty

Uplifting theme:

Second changes
Honesty
Hard work
Education is important

Things I liked:

The cast showed great promise. Too bad they didn’t have much to work with in the script. Fan favorites include Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Rob Riggle, Taran Killam, Romany Malco, and Mary Lynn Rajskub.
I’m very sensitive about movies that make fun of Christians in a mean-spirited way, but the Christian Chickens was pretty funny. When the film was shipped to theaters, the pseudonym was “Christian Chickens.”
As a university professor, I’m always happy when a movie’s theme is about the importance of getting an education. I liked Tiffany Haddish’s character as a tough teacher with a heart of gold.

Things I didn’t like:

Kevin Hart plays the same character in EVERY MOVIE he is in. Does that count as acting?
It was great to see Tiffany Haddish play a more straight-laced character, but I admit she shines best when she’s totally out of the box.
The prison fight scene was funny, but went on too long. That was the problem with a lot of scenes. C’mon, make a joke and move on.
So why would Teddy’s girlfriend actually want to be with an irresponsible, lying loser? I loved that blue dress she wore at the graduation scene.
There is a moment when Mary Lynn Rajskub says something that was obviously edited, so her lips don’t match the audio. Lame.

Want to watch a Kevin Hart movie that is actually funny? Watch:

Central Intelligence