Night School * (2018, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Ben Schwartz, Taran Killam, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anne Winters, Rob Riggle, Romany Malco, Jacob Batalon, Keith David) – Movie Review

Let’s try to avoid crushing a walnut with a steamroller. Director Malcolm D Lee’s raucous 2018 back to school comedy fails the grade. Night School is not only just lame and illogical, but it is also pretty bad.

The screenplay is a series of mostly stale, rude and unfunny jokes, strung together as a general theme rather than a plot of a 30-year-old bloke going to Night School because he’s done something real stupid and needs to pass a school exam to start some proper work. Meanwhile he’s working at Christian Chicken, a religious-themed fast-food place, and, sure enough, he gets dressed up in a chicken suit. And, OMG, even this isn’t funny. A film star dressed in a chicken suit is a guaranteed laughter raiser, but Kevin Hart can’t make it funny.

His gorgeous girlfriend Lisa (Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke) chucks him because he forgets to tell her he’s at Night School and she thinks he’s cheating on her (sorry, why?), and his Night School teacher is a bossy, super-aggressive woman (Tiffany Haddish), who belatedly reveals she is a lesbian (sorry, why?).

Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish in Night School (2018).

A likeable group of game and energetic, if modest performers try very hard but are almost entirely defeated by the script. Its attempt to give audiences staggeringly obvious and patronising life lessons about honesty and work ethic, and its attempt to bring on an untruthful, cosily sentimental ending are the icing on a crumbling cake. But still, it is harmless and means well.

It is hard to say who gives the least irritating performance, but you can pick and choose among the main cast of Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Ben Schwartz, Taran Killam, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anne Winters, Rob Riggle, Romany Malco, Jacob Batalon, and Keith David. But again, they are trying very hard to raise laughs.

It is rated PG 13 for crude and sexual content throughout, strong language, some drug references and violence.

The six credited writers are Kevin Hart, Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells, Matthew Kellard, Nicholas Stoller, and John Hamburg. To be fair, they chuck in every gag they know and just about manage one actual amusing joke each. If there’s a Night School in comedy movie screen-writing, maybe they should check in.

Malcolm D Lee is the director of the 2017 Girls Trip, also with Haddish.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

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