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Critics Consensus: Night School's funny stars and seemingly promising setup add up to a disappointingly scattershot comedy whose laughs are largely held in detention.
Critic Consensus: Night School's funny stars and seemingly promising setup add up to a disappointingly scattershot comedy whose laughs are largely held in detention.
All Critics (124) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (89)
There are just enough laughs to make "Night School" worth it, if you're in the mood. Even when it's not hilarious, there's a comic spirit that's active and never flags, from scene to scene.
There's a lot of sophomoric silliness Night School feels obligated to perform. But there's a heap of good intentions behind it, and enough big laughs to make us want to forgive it in the end.
If forced to choose, skip Night School -- a remedial-level comedy with Kevin Hart [and Tiffany Haddish].
It's to the credit of Lee and his collaborators that Night School pitches a comedic tent big enough to contain something silly for everyone.
Haddish is given little to work with - a fact that is almost criminal considering how her rising star power over the past year is almost entirely indebted to her charisma and disarming slapstick style.
Hart and Haddish are both wildly gifted comedians, but "Night School" doesn't allow them to riff.
Unlike Hart's other high-concept comedies, there is simply not enough laughs or character development to give Night School a passing grade.
The film's messages of never giving up and working hard to triumph over adversity are good life lessons but are buried under a bland, unfunny, generic shell.
The energy and laughs of this low-brow comedy come from the upbeat banter between the irrepressible Kevin Hart and the splendid Tiffany Haddish.
Any film that celebrates the value of education and its ability to improve one's prospects deserves major kudos. Kevin Hart has a huge black audience in the US so it seems he's keen to work in some positive messaging amidst all the pratfalls.
If I were to attend to a night school such as the one portrayed in this film, I would be down on my knees, pleading until my throat bleeds to be expelled from the class, because Night School is one of the most insufferable comedies of the year.
Ultimately, Night School's biggest crime is how bland it is. It's difficult to care about anything that happens, because the jokes are so flat, the characters so dull.
At this point I question if thereï¿ 1/2(TM)s even a point to me sitting down and taking time out of my day to write a review of a new Kevin Hart movie. I mean, unless Hart decides to work outside his comfort zone with a director that might challenge him or unless heï¿ 1/2(TM)s part of an ensemble cast one pretty much knows what theyï¿ 1/2(TM)re getting from a Kevin Hart comedy, right? And given Night School is the first production to be released under Hartï¿ 1/2(TM)s own production company though, one can safely assume that if this is successful-which all signs point to why wouldnï¿ 1/2(TM)t it be?-that the general viewing public can expect more of these same, middle-of-the-road comedies with recycled premises and recycled jokes that hold Hart at the center as a character who must overcome something in order to realize something about himself...while being made fun of for being short, of course. That said, I appreciate and kind of admire Hart for always willing to be the brunt of the joke and despite Night School being a rather large missed opportunity given it pairs the immensely charming and infinitely likable Hart with Girls Trip breakout Tiffany Haddish and her director on that film, Malcolm D. Lee (whoï¿ 1/2(TM)s also made The Best Man films and the most recent Barbershop picture), there is still enough here for it to qualify as an entertaining time at the movies. No, thatï¿ 1/2(TM)s not necessarily a ringing endorsement, but it does mean this doesnï¿ 1/2(TM)t feel wholly like a cheap, quickly manufactured product with little effort put in and therefore little expectations held for it. In fact, itï¿ 1/2(TM)s actually the opposite in that itï¿ 1/2(TM)s not hard to see Hart, his co-stars, and his company are genuinely trying to make something with, well...heart. Does this mean it actually holds some weight? Not really and it isnï¿ 1/2(TM)t as consistently funny as it should be given the stars of the film, but this is a rare comedy that doesnï¿ 1/2(TM)t have an ugly side to it. Itï¿ 1/2(TM)s an optimistic comedy, if you will, whereas the majority of big studio comedies tend to be both cynical with egotistical, snarky leads Night School sets itself apart from the pack if not for being the funniest of the year, but for holding out the most hope in humanity and seeing the good in the resilience of the human spirit. Not exactly an easy thing to do these days. read the whole review at www.reviewsfromabed.com
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