REVIEW – “Night School” should have been skipped (Second Opinion)

Ever see one of your favorite performers in a movie that you really disliked?  This was the case of ‘Night School’ for me.  A big fan of Kevin Hart, this flick was such a disappointment.  Even Tiffany Haddish couldn’t add enough to bring this script out of the crapper.  There were a few laughs, but nowhere near enough.  It was mostly crude and just gross – putting pubic hair in food to get out of paying the check, vomiting profusely on the face of an injured cohort, and the camera stayed and stayed showing each chunky piece.  Just gross.  A lot of the problem may have been in editing.  I mean vomiting can be funny (think Pitch Perfect) but this went on too long.  And these are just a couple of examples where things went wrong with this movie.  Jokes about anal sex, prison rape, and even more sexual and crude humor take away from the message of the film, which is all about second chances.

Teddy Walker (Kevin Hart) is a high school dropout that has become successful selling BBQ grills.  Living way above his means, Teddy wants to propose to his rich girlfriend, Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke).  After losing his sales job, his best friend (Ben Schwartz) offers the possibility of a job in finances – if he just gets his GED.  Keeping it secret from Lisa, Teddy starts night school in the same high school he attended.  Turns out the principal is now Stuart (Taran Killam) a former classmate that Teddy verbally embarrassed repeatedly in front of most of the school.  Stuart wants revenge.

Teddy’s night school teacher is Carrie Carter (Tiffany Haddish), a no-holds barred dedicated teacher trying to make a difference in a low-income school.  She doesn’t play favorites and is wants her students to actually learn.  His classmates become unlikely friends and they all decide to steal the answers to the final test.

Though the movie touches on great subjects, like learning disabilities, second chances and honesty, this school should have been skipped.  ‘Nuff said.