Review - The Wedding Ringer starring Kevin Hart, Josh Gad and Kaley Cuoco

My first review of the year and it’s a Kevin Hart movie. I know how that sounds, like man Julian is starting the hate MAD early. See I like Kevin Hart, I laugh at Kevin Hart and I see most of his output even, that Real Husbands of Hollywood show on BET. I just find it interesting that we might be in a thing where mid-January is his time to shine in the theaters and get money. One more year after Ride Along last year and this movie The Wedding Ringer and proof will be in the pudding. The Wedding Ringer is another starring vehicle for Hart this timed teamed with Josh Gad aka Olaf the new GOAT snowman. Also in this movie is Kaley Cuoco and a personal fav of mine Olivia Thirlby.

The Wedding Ringer is about Jimmy, played by Hart, a man that sells his services as a Best Man to people who don’t have one for their weddings. Josh Gad plays Doug, a man with no friends at all and is marrying his dream girl but has been lying about a made up best friend by the name of Bic Mitchum to her since they got engaged. Doug ends up being referred to Jimmy to help him in his problem and he hires Jimmy to be Bic and also get him groomsman and an entire history of friendship in two weeks before he weds Cuoco’s Gretchen. That’s essentially what you learn in the trailer and to be honest I wasn’t totally impressed with the idea in itself. Luckily I was surprised with The Wedding Ringer, not only was there a lot more to the movie than I thought, they also didn’t spoil all the great laughs in the trailer. I wanted to give someone a high five for that alone.

Hart and Gad really play off of each other well. The script and the performances play the dynamic of cool loner guy and lonely uncool guy really well. The plot of the movie is very easy to guess in what happens to all the characters. Friendships are made, backs are had, and muddy football games are played. For the most part the film is pretty down to earth in what happens with the comedy but for some reason once they get to the Bachelor Party things get a little too wild, a little too, I might say, Adam Sandler-esque then thankfully it goes back to a nice sense of normal. Another weird thing that stood out to me is that Olivia Thirlby is shot almost entirely in soft focus like it’s in the 60s. I don’t understand totally why they made that choice for a movie in 2015 but hey whatever man. It’s not that distracting for 99.9% of the audience.

So to wrap up The Wedding Ringer is a pretty decent R rated comedy for this time of the year. It’s also a bit different type of character for Hart instead of the annoyingly loud sidekick or narrator all-knowing funny black guy i.e. Think like a Man or About Last Night.  In this terrible season of weak releasing and Award season catch up it’s something new that you can see on weekend night and laugh.

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Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart Get Hard in New Trailer (Wait, what?)

Two things I want to get out of the way first. 

1. Sorry for the title....I couldn't resist 

2. If you're looking for a poster or still from this movie, don't Google image search 'Get Hard' without adding 'Movie' to the end of the search, learn from my mistakes people. 

Get Hard feels like the transitioning of the old to new guard of comedy giants in Hollywood. I don't say passing the torch because I don't think Ferrell's quite done yet but certainly Kevin Hart has taken that #1 spot that used to be firmly planted in the pocket of Will Ferrell. Honestly, having the two in the same movie feels like it should collapse the universe with the amount of hilarity it will bring. Visually opposite in every way Ferrell and Hart couldn't be more similar in what they bring to roles, I don't just mean that they're both funny, it's that they both can do the same bit in everything they do and it just doesn't seem to get old. That's what this trailer for Get Hard shows us. You have Hart being the ultimate non-badass little man and Ferrell every bit the middle America goofball, and it works. In a plot setup that's been overly done in the C to D list over the last year (see: Big Stan and Let's Go to Prison) Ferrell and Hart prove the difference between themselves and the likes of Rob Schneider and Dax Shepard as leading funny men. The movie's plot seems pretty simple, sheltered white guy gets sentenced to prison and, thanks to typical rich white guy stereotyping, goes to his black friend to find out how to not become someone's girlfriend. Every second of this trailer goes to the most obvious place you can think of but still I'm sitting here cracking up. Check it out for yourself and tell me you're not laughing as well. 

Get Hard hits theaters March 27th, 2015

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Kevin Hart Toughens Up Will Ferrell in First Trailer for 'Get Hard'

A couple of years ago Will Ferrell starred in The Other Guys, in which he and Mark Wahlberg helped take down a Bernie Madoff-type white collar criminal. Now the shoe is on the other foot in Get Hard, a comedy in which he's the one percenter about to get taught a lesson on how the system works for the underprivileged. And his teacher in this invaluable lesson? Kevin Hart. Cue the hilarity.

The first trailer for Get Hard actually looks very funny, and unafraid to make light of some serious social issues. Ferrell plays James, a naive hedge fund manager convicted of fraud and sentenced to maximum security prison (which would never happen), but living the high life doesn't provide much insight on how things work behind bars. So he enlists the aid of his car washer Darnell (Hart) to help toughen up or "get hard" before he goes to jail. The only problem is Darnell isn't all that tough, either, despite James' clueless assumptions he must be, saying "statistically, you definitely went to prison."

Directed by Etan Cohen with Tip "T.I." Harris and Alison Brie co-starring, Get Hard opens March 27th 2015.


Get Hard - Official Trailer [HD]. by NewTrailers BOS

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New Trailer and Red Band Clip for 'The Wedding Ringer' starring Kevin Hart

In the midst of the hacking scandal that shall never end, Sony still has movies coming out. One of those is The Wedding Ringer, which the studio hopes will be next year's first big hit with comedy gold Kevin Hart in the lead.  They recently had to cancel a press event for the film due to all this hacking nonsense, but they still have plenty or reason to be optimistic. While we've seen plenty of the R-rated buddy comedy already, a new trailer and red band clip have been released for you to enjoy.

Why shouldn't Sony be confident? Hart has found success with Ride Along, Think Like a Man Too, and About Last Night in the last year alone, and there's every reason to he can do the same thing with The Wedding Ringer. Josh Gad stars as a groom with no friends who hires Hart to be the Best Man at his wedding, and of course the whole thing goes awry.

Pretty much everything Hart's fans are looking for, right? Also starring Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting and Olivia Thirlby, The Wedding Ringer opens January 16th.

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New Red Band Trailer for 'The Wedding Ringer' with Kevin Hart and Josh Gad

Looking a lot like a really screwed up version of Hitch, the Kevin Hart/Josh Gad comedy The Wedding Ringer seems poised to be one of 2015's first big hits. Few have been on a hotter streak than Hart, and who doesn't love to watch two bro's totally ruining the happy nuptials? So does it have a chance to be the next Wedding Crashers? Check out the new red band trailer and decide for yourself.

Hart plays a guy who runs a business providing "best man" services to grooms who don't have any friends, which makes Gad the perfect client. This is one of the filthiest red band trailers we've seen in months, so definitely don't watch it at work or around the kiddies. Jeremy Garelick, who penned the insightful relationship dramedy The Break-Up, is directing this one and hopefully he has a few things to say about the nature of marriage, as well. Or if he just wants to be straight-up silly like this footage suggests, that's perfectly fine, too.

Also starring Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Cloris Leachman, Olivia Thirlby, Jorge Garcia, Alan Ritchson, Jenifer Lewis, and Mimi Rogers, The Wedding Ringer opens January 16th 2015.


The Wedding Ringer Official Trailer #3 (2015) - Kevin Hart, Josh Gad Comedy Movie HD by Allvideos HD

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Will Ferrell Benches Kevin Hart in New 'Get Hard' Photos

“It’s that thought everyone has had, " Will Ferrell tells USA Today when discussing his new comedy, Get Hard. "What if, in some unforeseen circumstance, you were mistakenly sentenced to prison? What would you do? You would either try to flee or you would try to prepare yourself for every single scenario. That’s where comedy comes from.”

And comedy is what Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart know best, which is why Get Hard is looking like one of the most promising comedies of 2015. The first photos have been unveiled from the prison laugher, including one hilarious image of Ferrell bench-pressing Hart. Directed by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder), the film has Ferrell as a timid bank manager convicted of a crime he didn't commit and thrown into a maximum security prison. Hart plays his car washer who has 30 days to get Ferrell toughened up for his time behind bars.

Get Hard opens March 27th.

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Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson Sign Up for 'Central Intelligence'

If Dwayne Johnson is "franchise Viagra" for action flicks, then Kevin Hart is the king of comedy right now. Both have been racking up one hit after another over the last couple of years, and now we're going to get to see what this potentially amazing duo can when they join forces for Central Intelligence.

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (We're the Millers) and once set to star Ed Helms, the film now will have Hart as a former high school sports superstar turned accountant, with Johnson as his former classmate who was a bullied loser back in the day. But now he's grown up to be a contract killer for the CIA, and ropes the accountant into helping him stop a plot to sell classified military secrets. This might have been funnier if the roles were reversed, honestly.

Ed Helms will exec-produce, with the Marshall providing the latest draft of the script. Filming will begin in the spring, so get ready for the Rock to crack plenty of jokes about Hart's height, or lack thereof.

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First Trailer for Chris Rock's Festival Hit, 'Top Five'

While other films may have racked up awards at the Toronto Film Festival, it's doubtful any of them came out of it as hot as Chris Rock's Top Five. The celebrity world comedy scored a big time distribution and has people talking about Rock as a director again, his first effort behind the camera since 2007's I Think I Love my Wife. And with the film a couple of months away from hitting theaters the first trailer has arrived and it's hilarious.

Rock stars alongside Gabrielle Union, Rosario Dawson, JB Smoove, and more in the story of a top comedy star dealing with a lot all at once. He's set to make his big dramatic debut and reinvent himself as a serious actor, while at the same time he's about to get married on national television to a popular reality star. And on top of all this he has to spend the day being interviewed for New Yorker magazine by the beautiful and sharp Chelsea (Dawson), who challenges him on multiple levels.

Not surprisingly, Rock has cast a bunch of his fellow comedians in smaller roles with Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Cedric the Entertainer, Adam Sandler, and more making appearances. Top Five hits theaters on December 12th.

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Kevin Hart Joins Colin Firth in 'The Intouchables' Remake

A remake of the French smash hit comedy, The Intouchables, has been in the works for quite awhile, and a major sticking point has been finding someone to take the role previously occupied by Omar Sy. Colin Firth has long been attached to the other lead, while Chris Tucker, Jamie Foxx, Chris Rock, and even Idris Elba were looked at to join the Paul Feig-scripted comedy.  But now French site Allocine is reporting that Kevin Hart has won the role.

The Intouchables was released three years ago and quickly became an international phenomenon, voted "the cultural event" of the year in France and earning Omar Sy a Cesar Award for his performance. The film chronicles the unlikely friendship between a wealthy quadriplegic and his spirited Senegalese caretaker.  The news of Hart's casting was apparently revealed by Olivier Nakache, a co-director on the original film.

What's still unclear is who will be behind the camera. Feig worked on the screenplay and was circling the directing job for awhile but never seemed to commit. It was Tom Shadyac (Bruce Almighty) who looked to be the frontrunner as of last year but nothing has been heard since. If the main cast is now in place presumably we'll be hearing more about Weinstein's plans for The Intouchables soon, but it would seem that casting Hart would remove the story's pointed commentary on immigration. But that's okay because we'll get to see what Hart can do with this scene...

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Kevin Hart is Every Groom's Best Friend in 'The Wedding Ringer' Trailer

Has there been a more successful actor over the last two years than Kevin Hart? The string of hit movies beginning with Think Like a Man and stretching to this year's Ride Along, About Last Night, and Think Like a Man Too make the case that he is one of today's biggest draws. Next year he'll try to keep the momentum going in The Wedding Ringer, which will give him a chance to kick it opposite Josh Gad.

Directed by Jeremy Garelick (writer of The Break-Up), the Hitch-style comedy stars Hart as Jimmy, who runs Best Man Inc., providing "best man services" to grooms who don't have any friends to stand up for them. When Doug (Gad) hires Jimmy for his impending wedding to Paige (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), a bromance develops between the two in the midst of all the matrimonial chaos.

The Wedding Ringer walks down the aisle on January 16th.

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Jon Hamm, Kevin Hart Eye Richard Linklater's 'Mr. Limpet'; New Clip from 'Boyhood'

In a couple of weeks Richard Linklater will finally release his 12-year coming of age epic, Boyhood (catch my review here), and he'll be following it up with another project that has been in the works for some time. Zach Galifianakis has long been attached to star in Linklater's remake of Don Knotts comedy, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, and with the project officially moving forward a talented cast is starting to assemble around it.

Jon Hamm, Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Key & Peele, Sarah Silverman, and Danny McBride are in talks to join the film, a live-action/animated hybrid based on the Theodore Pratt novel that inspired the 1964 movie. Galifianakis plays a bearded beach bum and activist who is turned into a fish and sets out to save the aquatic population and his town. Hamm would play the villain, a businessman who mines the ocean floor. McBride and Silverman are expected to take human roles while the rest will be voicing animated fish.

Linklater will be employing an animated style still similar to his Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, which may take kids a little getting used to. Filming could begin this fall if everything comes together.

But first Linklater has Boyhood to open in theaters, and even if it's not your typical summer tentpole it's an achievement bigger films can't come close to matching. Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Linklater's daughter Lorelai shot the movie over the course of twelve years, filming a few weeks at a time. It allows us to see these characters evolve naturally, and the same goes for the actors portraying them. The story centers on Mason (Coltrane) as he grows up in a broken-but-loving home, and in this scene he's getting a lecture from his Dad about having a natural conversation.

Boyhood opens in limited release July 11th, here in DC a week later.[TheWrap]

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Kevin Hart is The Best Man in First Trailer and Images from 'The Wedding Ringer'

This weekend will see Kevin Hart play the worst best man ever in Think Like a Man Too, the sequel to the film that sparked his career and led to hits such as Ride Along and About Last Night. Next year Hart will reteam with uber-producer Will Packer for The Wedding Ringer, and again he'll be part at the center of someone's impending nuptials.

The first images and trailer for The Wedding Ringer have been released, and they feature Hart getting his groove on alongside Josh Gad. Directed and co-written by Jeremy Garelick (The Break-Up), the film has Hart playing a guy who runs a best man service, standing up for grooms who don't have a friend close enough to be part of the wedding. Gad's character hires him, but also decides to fabricate nine other friends and the two must keep things from spinning out of control and ruining the wedding.

Also starring Olivia Thirlby, Kaley Cuoco, Alan Ritchson, and Mimi Rogers, The Wedding Ringer opens January 16th 2015.


THE WEDDING RINGER (2015) Official HD Teaser Trailer by NewTrailers BOS
 

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Review: 'Think Like a Man Too' Starring Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, and Taraji P. Henson

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and by the time Think Like A Man Too is over you'll wish it had stayed there, also. Following up on 2011's surprise comedy hit based on the relationship book by Steve Harvey, the film leans heavily on breakout star Kevin Hart to carry the comedic load, to the detriment of the equally-talented cast he's surrounded by. Not to say that Hart isn't talented as well, but as a colleague of mine put it, "A little Hart goes a long way". It's the classic case of a sequel that's bigger but not necessarily better, louder but not necessarily funnier.

Admit it, the first time you heard Vegas would be the setting you knew the sequel was doomed. Vegas has become something of a black hole from which fresh ideas never escape. The only one to break this disturbing trend was The Hangover, which then proceeded to return to Vegas disastrously in the franchise's finale. Overconfidence will kill ya. But the worst side-effect of the Vegas problem is the locale guarantees there will be less relationship insight and more indulging in the night life.

Everybody's back for what turns out to be a big wedding bash in Sin City, only now their respective relationships have been kicked up to sitcom levels. Candace (Regina Hall) has settled into a comfortable groove with her fiancé Michael (Terrence J), who is still a "momma's boy" and perhaps even more so. Mya (Meagan Good) is having issues dealing with "Zeke the Freak" (Romany Malco) and his sexual history, made worse by his reputation around Vegas. Lauren (Taraji P. Henson) and Dominic (Michael Ealy) are having work/life balance issues; Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara) and Kirsten (Gabrielle Union) are trying to maintain their passion while trying to get pregnant, and of course the requisite unhip white couple (Gary Owen and Wendi McLendon-Covey) is along for the ride and get spruced up roles. Aggressive motormouth Cedric (Hart) has a wild bachelor party planned and a $40K-per-night hotel all booked up for the festivities, hilariously mistaken into thinking he's been asked by Michael to be the best man. Making fun of Hart's diminutive stature has become all too common, but director Tim Story finds new ways to emphasize his lack of height. Cedric, who narrates the action as he did before, sees it as a competition between the sexes to have the craziest evening possible, frequently and weakly reaching for basketball metaphors to make his point. They were probably lifted word-for-word from Harvey's book, but on the plus side the author's appearances are thankfully few.

Hart gets the bulk of the funniest lines as Cedric berates his friends and their love lives, racing them from one disastrous mishap after another. “I’m sick of this nontourage", he cleverly quips. You can't blame them for making Hart the centerpiece but his rat-a-tat-tat shtick has a limit, and you don't know when the line has been crossed until it's too late. In one tell-tale moment, Hart indulges in a Risky Business-style dance number that goes on way too long and would have been funnier as a shared scene with the group. The ensemble is what audiences love, and they will absolutely flip over the film's creative highlight; a music video of the ladies rappin' to Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison". From there it's all downhill for Think Like a Man Too, a sequel that, if we were to use a relationship metaphor, is like a really bad rebound date.

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Nicholas Stoller May Direct Kevin Hart/Seth Rogen Buddy Cop Comedy

Here's a project that may have slipped from memory, even though the headlining pair makes all the sense in the world. A couple of years ago Paramount picked up a pitch for a buddy comedy that would star Seth Rogen and Kevin Hart. This was before Hart became the hottest comedy star in Hollywood with a string of hits to his name. But nothing's really been heard about it until now when Nicholas Stoller, Rogen's director on Neighbors, brought it up to Slashfilm.

According to Stoller, he's hoping to work with Rogen and Hart on the film next, and his description makes it sound far more interesting than one would think...

Stoller:  "The next thing I want to direct is this thing for Seth [Rogen] and Kevin Hart. It’s basically about the first white cop black cop pairing in history. That takes place in the late ’40s and they have to bust jazz musicians for weed. It’s kind of a Baz Luhrman world mixed with Tarantino shit. It’s a lot of things."

Jazz era, Luhrmann, Tarantino, Hart and Rogen...yeah, that sounds kinda great. The script was written by Rodney Rothman, who has worked with Stoller previously on Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Five-Year Engagement. So it's a pairing that works and should make Stoller's decision pretty easy, assuming it's up to him.

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Jamie Foxx and Kevin Hart Team Up for 'The Black Phantom'; Tim Story May Direct

Tim Story and Kevin Hart have been tied at the hip for a couple of years now, and it's worked to their mutual benefit. Think Like a Man and Ride Along did wonders for both, which is why it's no surprise there are sequels on the way. And they're about to team up at least one more time, only they're letting Jamie Foxx get in on some of the action.

Hart and Foxx, which already sounds like a comedy act, are set to star in The Black Phantom, which Story is in talks to helm with Will Packer producing. The script by Dave Lease and Megan Hinds centers on a mob hitman who enlists the aid of the Black Phantom, the same African-American assassin who had been sent to kill him. It's not clear who is playing which role, but the idea of Hart saving Foxx is already funny.

The film has been bouncing around for years with Foxx loosely attached at various stages. Idris Elba, Eddie Murphy, and Justin Timberlake have also been mentioned for it in the past. [Variety]

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Kevin Hart, Ice Cube, and Tim Story Returning for 'Ride Along 2'

Long before the Kevin Hart and Ice Cube comedy Ride Along made bank at the box office, Universal had already set in motion their plans for a sequel. So it's not exactly a surprise to learn they've locked up both actors, plus director Tim Story.

Deadline reports that Hart, Cube, Story, plus screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi are returning for Ride Along 2. Even though the first film has hit the $120M mark by focusing heavily on the humor, the sequel will "have more action" and be more of a multi-cultural experience to maximize the audience.

Universal isn't wasting any time, either, with plans for production to begin in June or July, meaning we should see it some time in 2015 which is also when we'll see him team with Will Ferrell in Get Hard. With Think Like a Man Too coming later this year, plus two more potential hits in the next, there seems to be no stopping Hart's momentum.

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Box Office: Audiences Love 'The LEGO Movie' and 'About Last Night' on Valentine's Day

1. The LEGO Movie- $48.8M/$129.1M
Nostalgia was always going to win out in a week dominated by '80s remakes, but it was The LEGO Movie that held on to the top spot for the second weekend in a row. Dropping a miniscule 29%, the Warner Bros. animated adventure hasn't slowed down much. even with a devastating winter snow shutting down much of the east coast. The plan all along was for the film to coast through the first weekend, then power through the holiday in week two, and that is how things are shaping out.
2. About Last Night- $27M
In case you missed the memo: Kevin Hart is a star. Not only is he a star, but he's quickly become one of the most bankable actors around. Look at what he was able to do with About Last Night, a remake of a 1986 Brat Pack film that nobody was clamoring to see redone, and yet he helped boost it to a debut that's more than double the $12M budget. As one of two clear romance movies arriving on Valentine's Day it opened strong with $13M on Friday, earning an 'A-' Cinemascore in the process. Hart now sits with two movies in the top 10, with Ride Along still chugging along well over the $100M mark.
3. Robocop- $21.5M/$26.4M
Getting a couple of days jump on the rest didn't help out the Robocop remake too much, booting up in third place and $26.4M total. That's not too far from the $25.4M opening of the Total Recall remake just a couple of years ago.  The $100M effort probably wasn't helped much by The LEGO Movie's staying power, and a glut of more romantic films opening on Valentine's Day. But there is a clear cut silver lining, and it's that foreign grosses have been high, leading to a worldwide total of $96.3M. Sony is going to clear some cash off this one, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if we see a Robocop 2 somewhere down the line.
4. The Monuments Men- $15M/$43.6M
As expected, George Clooney's The Monuments Men held strong to its older-skewing audience. Dropping only 31%, the WWII drama is performing well as an early season prestige film. Not too many of those around, really.
5. Endless Love- $13.3M
It was a smart move dropping the Alex Pettyfer/Gabriella Wilde romance Endless Love on Valentine's Day. The remake of the terrible mushy '80s film debuted to a healthy $7M on Friday as couples sought out a date night flick, only to have it peter out the rest of the weekend. This still doesn't do anything to save Pettyfer's flagging career, and it certainly doesn't do squat for Wilde, although both should remain relatively unscathed.
6. Ride Along- $8.7M/$116.1M
7. Winter's Tale- $7.7M
Quick, tell me what Winter's Tale is about. Impossible, right? Well, that's the same trouble trailers and TV spots had in selling this mythical religious romance flying horse manure thing. And so they settled simply on pushing the cast of Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, and Jennifer Connelly, while keeping Will Smith's cameo as a surprise for appalled audiences.  Critics razed this thing to the ground (including yours truly), but audiences mostly took to it, enough to earn a 'B' Cinemascore. 
8. Frozen- $5.8M/$376M
9. Lone Survivor- $4M/$118.4M
10. That Awkward Moment- $3.3M/$21.4M

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John's Take: About Last Night

Remakes, remakes, remakes. Honestly, I don’t get the hate…if they’re bad you can forget them, if they’re good you get a fresh take on a great story. Thankfully About Last Night, a remake of a 80s romantic (?) comedy starring Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, falls into the latter category. Starring Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, and Joy Bryant, About Last Night follows to distinctly different couples in their journey through the complicated world of modern dating. Bernie (Kevin Hart) brings his best friend Danny (Michael Ealy) on a follow-up date with his one night stand Joan (Regina Hall) who, of course, also brings her best friend Debbie (Joy Bryant). While Bernie and Joan pursue partying and wild sex Danny and Debbie, both reeling from previous bad relationships, find each other in a much more sweet and romantic way. Prior to watching the movie I wondered how it would strike the same notes as the original, a saucy film for its time with A LOT of sex and nudity, stuff that doesn’t seem so shocking nowadays. What we get is one of the most honest and downright hilarious, thanks mostly to Hart and Hall, date movies that I’ve seen in a very long time.

Bad things…hmmm….well, I guess the only thing I can say is that it gives a rather unrealistic impression of what we should expect, visually, in the modern dating world. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that everyone is ridiculously good looking. Outside of that the only real pseudo-complaint I have is that when the trouble arises in Danny and Debbie’s relationship it really seems to come out of nowhere. Basically Danny doesn’t think he’s good enough for Debbie and becomes really insecure, but the way it’s played out there is no subtle ramp up…just one day he’s pissed off all of the time and tells her he never loved her.


Now the good stuff, this paragraph will be much longer. Kevin Hart, who has solidified his place as the funniest actor working with this movie, is at the top of his game as Bernie, the cocky party hardy friend who ridicules Danny for falling in love but flips the script as soon as that ball is in his court. We all know that guy, the one who always calls you out for being whipped but gives in completely when his time comes. Now Kevin Hart alone can make a movie, but the real cream in this coffee comes from his pairing with Regina Hall’s Joan, who is basically a female Bernie. We’ve all known Hall as a completely capable comedic presence all the way back to Scary Movie, but seeing her opposite Hart puts her to a whole new level. They are equals on every level and the movie jumps into the stratosphere of laughs a minute when they get going together, when you see it…and you SHOULD see it, look for the Halloween party scene for the best example of why these two should always work together.

Then you have Danny and Debbie, the sweeter side of the story. This is where the real heart of the story lies and the reason it gets a place at the “Valentine’s Date Movie” table. The way the story plays out is simply perfect (aside from the earlier mentioned unearned break-up scene…that’s not a spoiler you knew there would be one), it’s sweet but not sugary and has an honest angle that sets it apart from most love stories. This is that rare occasion where you see a movie love story that feels real and not like an idealized version of some Disney fairytale. As odd as this sounds the credit goes to the little things that Ealy and Bryant do, specifically their body language and facial expressions. A small smile here, a sarcastic joke there, as in life it’s the little things that cultivated true love and this movie gets that. Lastly they manage to work in playful sex without making it feel cheap…that may be the most honest part. Far too often in movies when a romantic couple get down to business it’s always the slow, sweet, lit candles and incense kind of love making. While that’s not devoid from their relationship more often than not it starts with a “Damn girl, you’re looking good in those pants” type situation and, if we’re being honest, isn’t that more real? One final negative aspect that I feel I must include and it’s really more of a compliment to the film itself…just something for the guys to be aware of. Your wife/girlfriend WILL be thinking about Ealy at some point in the next day or two. Not only is he a good looking, in-shape dude, but his character is about as close to the feminine ideal of how a man should be. Not only does he turn down a smoking hot Paula Patton who’s begging for it, but he gets her a puppy for God’s sake, thanks Danny for raising my wife’s expectations.

I can’t recommend this movie enough. Not only is it a touching and honest look at relationships and the different ways people pursue them but it had me laughing, uncontrollably, throughout 80% of the movie. I can’t remember the last time a movie had me like that.

4 out of 5 Guttenbergs

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Review: 'About Last Night' Starring Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, and Joy Bryant

Back in 1986, when Brat Packers Demi Moore and Rob Lowe were having their illicit trysts in About Last Night, it was a totally scandalous thing. It was a different time and one-night stands were viewed differently than they are now, although there's no denying that Moore and Lowe sizzled in their depiction of youthful romantic indecision fueled by raging libidos. But this is 2014 and the African-American led remake, yet another adaptation of David Mamet's play "Sexual Perversity in Chicago", has a modern take on relationships that is funnier and more insightful than the original.

It helps that this version has the comedic power of Kevin Hart and Regina Hall, who play the bickering on again/off again couple, Bernie and Joan. They don't just steal the show once; they steal it multiple times, overshadowing the primary duo played by Joy Bryant and Michael Ealy. Hart, Hall, and Ealy have starred in multiple films together at this point, and their chemistry together is off the charts, while Bryant sometimes seems like a fourth wheel. That's not to say she's bad, because she isn't. She has an easygoing, embracing personality that works well with Ealy, it's just her character doesn't have the pop of the other three.

The sexual perversion moves to Los Angeles, where buddies Bernie and Danny (Ealy) kick back drinks at whatever bar they happen to be at while discussing their latest conquests. Bernie is a clown, a mighty mite with a big mouth and bigger ego, perfect for Hart in other words. Danny is calm, cool, and reluctant to dive back into the dating scene after a harsh break-up with the mysterious Allison (Paul Patton, in an under-written cameo). But when Bernie starts hooking up with the sexually vigorous Joan, Danny is also warming up to her best friend, Debbie (Bryant). As Bernie and Joan take off like a rocket ship, Debbie and Danny play it slower....well, after the unexpected one-night-stand, that is.

The film tracks both relationships as they run hot and cold, neither ever seeming to be on the same path at the same time. Bernie and Joan are the more interesting duo; an oil and water pair with undeniable chemistry, mostly due to their mutual self-involvement. Their exchanges, both verbal and sexual, are sharp and pretty nasty (there's a chicken suit introduced at one point), but they form the comedic backbone of the film that works better as a comedy than as a romance thanks in part to director Steve Pink. As the "boring" couple, Debbie and Danny go through the rigors any serious couple does. The honeymoon period is fantastic and helps them through their past hang-ups, then things cool down into comfortable domesticity, until soon she is looking for a new dog (as a baby surrogate) and he is looking for any opportunity to hang out with his buddies. Their relationship goes through ups and downs in broad strokes to fit the episodic nature of Leslye Headland's script, which leans heavily on humor rather than deep emotional truths.  When the girls are depressed they indulge in Nutella binges; the guys take their frustrations out on video games.

Hart has been delivering his A+ material since 2012's Think Like a Man, and this film shares a lot of thematic similarities he seems comfortable playing into. He's a little guy with a Napoleon complex who always has something to say, even when others want him to shut up. Again he finds himself in the role of motor-mouthed pal, but what's surprising is how good he is with Hall. The give and take between them is flawless, a joy to watch, and they have real spark as a romantic pair. It's hard to believe Hall is the same actress who played second fiddle to Anna Faris in Scary Movie all those years ago. She's improved by leaps and bounds and is as sexy as she is hilarious. It's the best overall performance Hall and Hart have ever given and hopefully we get to see more of them together soon. How about a Bernie and Joan spinoff?  There probably weren't a lot of people clamoring for an About Last Night remake, but this one is fresh enough to hold up well on its own. About Last Night has a lot of laughs, a little bit of spice, and will make for a great date movie this Valentine's Day.

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Trailer for 'Think Like a Man Too' Takes the Action to Vegas

The emergence of Kevin Hart as a superstar really kicked off in 2012 with Think Like a Man, the relationship comedy surprising many with a $96M box office. Audiences jumped at the chance to see the cast full of favorite supporting actors such as Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, and Romany Malco get their chance to shine, and now they gang is back again for the sequel, Think Like a Man Too.

The first trailer for the film has been released and it worryingly takes the action to Las Vegas for some "sin city" shenanigans. The entire cast has returned, and this time the couples are together for an impending wedding, although the footage keeps secret who will be tying the knot. The first film was smart, funny, and relatable in a way I don't think many were expecting, but this looks to be relying heavily on silly antics rather than the ties that bind these characters together.

This could be a step in the wrong direction but so far the combination of director Tim Story and producer Will Packer have yet to strike out. The duo also collaborated on the $100M-topping Ride Along, and Packer produced this weekend's About Last Night remake which features much of this film's cast.

Co-starring Taraji P. Henson, Gary Owen, Terrence J., Meagan Good, Jerry Ferrara, La La Anthony, Jenifer Lewis, and Gabrielle Union, Think Like a Man Too opens June 20th 2014.


Think Like a Man Too (2014) Trailer by Afro-Style.com

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