'About Last Night' is a modern take on the 1986 film of the same name and digs a little bit deeper into the workings of relationships in the big city. Most of these romantic comedies usually have the same plot and story arcs throughout their runtimes, and this one is no different. There are highs and lows we go through with these characters, but with the four great performances from Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, and Joy Bryant, this little film is a small step above the rest, despite its many cliches and redundant story lines.
'About Last Night' follows best friends Bernie (Hart) and Danny (Ealy), who are very close and share all details about every aspect of their lives, even the raunchy bits. Danny is the more calm and collected of the pair, while Bernie is loud and boisterous. Needless to say, neither of the friends has problems getting some of the best women in the big city, but by different means. Danny recently broke up with his long term girlfriend and hasn't had the guts or desire to get out on the dating field again to play ball. But Bernie is there every step of the way to coax him into trying again with his witty attitude.
Bernie begins to fall for the impressive and beautiful Joan (Hall), who is very similar to Bernie. Joan's roommate Debbie (Bryant) is also single and is set up with Danny, and the two fall in love quite fast. Over the course of both couples' relationships, we see the inevitable roller coaster of love with the genuine romantic moments, the awkward fights in public, the silliness, and even the sexual escapades. Bernie and Joan's relationship is very volatile and high maintenance, while Danny and Debbie's relationship seems good on the outside, but privately doesn't go so well, and it puts a strain on everyone's friendship and relationship with each other.
As in most of these romantic comedies, we journey with each character as they fall in love, go through rough patches, and even split up with their significant others. But those last few scenes, where they start climbing up the relationship ladder again, make it all the worthwhile. And that's what director Steve Pink does so well with his film and characters.
He takes an over-done story line and gives it more depth and realism than most of these comedies do, so that when our characters do end up together, our hearts are warm and our minds are at ease. Sure, there are some cliched pieces of dialogue, and over-the-top moments, but Hall, Bryant, Ealy, and Hart all give one-hundred percent here and keep this comedy flowing. 'About Last Night' is much better than expected in this sub-genre of cinema.
'About Last Night' comes with a fantastic 1080p HD transfer presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The entire image looks great and has very sharp and vivid detail throughout. Textures in the clothing look amazing and you can make out wrinkles, makeup blemishes and individual hairs on the actor's faces.
Props and background items look very strong and give a sense of real depth. The colors look great and seem to be brought down just a tiny bit to bring a realness to the big city nightlife, but are all well-balanced throughout the movie. The black levels are deep and inky always with the skin tones looking very natural. There were no instances of any compression issues or any other problems to speak of. Sony has yet another great video presentation on their hands.
This release comes with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix and it is just a good as the video presentation mentioned above. The dialogue is always crystal clear and easy to understand. It's perfectly balanced in the front speakers with a few instances of great directionality. There were no instances of any pops, cracks, or hissing throughout the film. The soundtrack and music in the film is loud, robust and full of life. Since a few scenes take place in a dance club or bar, the music hits every note here with great fidelity.
The bass kicks into high gear and you will feel like you're in a nightclub at times. There are some good sound effects and ambient noises that pour out of the surrounds, whether it be on a walk through the city, at a ball game, or at a bouncing nightclub, the sound is well-balanced and never sounds overly loud or done. The dynamic range is very wide as well. This is another excellent audio presentation from Sony. Just don't expect big explosions from the romantic comedy.
An Un-Romatic Comedy (HD, 15 mins.) - A fun extra that discusses this remake in relation to the original 1986 film of the same name. There are interviews with the cast and crew on some of the raunchier scenes in the film, casting, and some of the fun on set. This is worth a look if you enjoyed the movie.
'About Last Night' could have been a train wreck of a film, but luckily it wasn't. The cast really pulled through and gave it their all for this romantic comedy. You might have seen some of the same story lines hashed out in other films over the years, but this one really has its own unique style and is worth looking at. The video and audio presentations are excellent with some fun, decent extras. If you're not sure on this release yet, rent it first before purchasing, but if you're fans of the genre and love the actors here, then by all means, purchase this great Blu-ray.
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