Night School

A fairly tame & lame September continues before some of the awards-worthy movies -- most of which I actually want to see -- start hitting next week.

Aside from A Simple Favor, nothing has really impressed me this month, though I do regrettably admit to missing Mandy which I've heard is worthwhile.

Night School is Kevin Heart's newest comedy, featuring Tiffany Haddish. Its trailers were goofy enough, but I could immediately tell that most of the best parts had already been revealed. *Side bar* for those wondering how to spot this in a film, if you watch 2-3 separate trailers that all contain highly similar material, it's usually a telltale sign *side bar over*

I enjoy both Hart and Haddish, but I think both can wear thin after prolonged exposure, particularly Hart. They're best when they can be themselves, but also when they can be balanced out with someone else. Given that Night School was the main thing opening this weekend, I was "forced" to round out September with it. 

But Night School had a secret weapon that didn't seem to be revealed in the trailers and it's one that I'm not sure I've ever spoken to at Rath's Reviews: being well-intentioned. 

Wait, what?  

The fact that I'm "lightly" recommending a rather mediocre comedy comes as a surprise to me to because the film aims to have a little more heart that perhaps I was a sucker for, but I found endearing to carry it past its issues. 

Seen here: the "Black Voice" segments are funny, but repetitive

Right off the bat I'll tell you that Night School isn't all that funny. I certainly laughed but most of the highlight jokes were in the trailers and there's probably about a 50/50 hit rate which is abysmal. During one character's monologue (read: rant) there was even someone in the theater next to me that shook his head and asked, "What the hell is this guy talking about?" It was supposed to be a long, comedic string of likely(?) improv, but speaks to many of the jokes, particularly around dialogue, that fail in the film. Most of the best portions come from Hart being Hart or same thing for Haddish. That's likely because the film's script comes with 6 writers, usually a bad start for a comedy indicating that the jokes were thrown at a wall, hoping most would stick. To be fair, there are some good bits throughout, but it's definitely not the best comedy of 2018. Or even the top 5. 

Despite a cliched story that plays out exactly how you'd imagine, I found myself invested (as much as you can be in a comedy) because of the characters and the film's heart. Hart's Teddy is basically himself, for better or worse, but I don't feel as if he ever got on my nerves here. As the story goes, he loses his job in a freak accident and now needs his GED to more marketable on the market. Problem is, he hates school and is rather bad at it. Haddish is surprisingly reigned in as the night school teacher who deeply cares about her students. It was a smart move to have her be a bit toned down and although it feels like she's a tad underutilized, I appreciated the decision. The supporting cast is also an unexpected treat featuring many actors/actresses you've seen before "from that one show/movie". Rob Riggle is probably the biggest name and he does get some funny bits here. The others each get a couple moments to shine even though it's probably their bits of the script that fail the hardest at times. 

Surprisingly, Night School will make you feel-good because of how well-intentioned it comes across, especially once you realize it takes a pretty strong stand of support for those who have learning disabilities. Perhaps that was a scapegoat to earn some good-will with audiences, but it comes across as genuine from the very start and elevates the film in hindsight where the comedy of it somewhat failed. Again, it's nothing you haven't seen before, but it's one of the few times (maybe only time) where the positive nature of a film and its message were something that I felt like "saved" it.

Rob Riggle in the back:
"You better fix your face, or I'm going to fix it for you"

Perhaps I'm being too kind to Night School because part of me is torn by how many jokes fell flat on their face. And it's certainly not something that I'll remember come a few months from now. But much like good intentions of the film, I'm willing to recognize the good will it earns as being a merely semi-enjoyable comedy with an important message.

CONS

• Inconsistent humor. Some jokes land, most of the physical ones do thanks to Hart, but the script is all over the place. There are entire monologues that go without a laugh
• Most of the best parts were in the trailers
• Cliched story. You'll know exactly what's going to play out in the first 10 minutes
• A bit too long for a comedy like this

PROS

• Hart and Haddish are good central characters and seem mildly reigned in. They work well together
• The side cast is surprisingly endearing and entertaining even when the get the short end of the comedy stick
• Has genuine intentions that makes it a "feel-good" movie more than you may be anticipating. Deals with learning disabilities and earns a lot of good will from Haddish's Carrie being a huge supporter of her students

Rath's Review Score | 6.5/10