‘Night School’ VOD Review
Stars: Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, Keith David, Anne Winters, Taran Killam, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Romany Malco, Ben Schwartz, Rob Riggle | Written by Kevin Hart, Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells, Matthew Kellard, Nicholas Stoller, John Hamburg | Directed by Malcolm D. Lee
Tiffany Haddish and her Girls Trip director Malcolm D. Lee reteam in the Kevin Hart produced star vehicle Night School. A film which epitomises Hart’s career at the moment as an average simplistic venture into comedy that offers very little in the wake of either originality or personality, yet the recipient of financial success with such a weak time for the genre available for audiences to indulge and celebrate.
Night School is as straightforward and inconsequential, both contextually and conceptually, as one can imagine for such a venture. It is a grab and run sort of operation at the core of production. A cash grab if you will. A film with zero interest to be created with any form of artistic impression aside from making money. Not a sin, in fact nowhere near an issue with much of Hollywood siding with such an ideology. Night School just doesn’t hide the fact that it has so little to offer. Not even remotely disguised as anything but a wasted opportunity to create an exciting venture with what stars two huge heavyweights in the comedy game.
Hart, in particular, is in flatline mode here with a character an exact replica of anything he’s been in since perhaps Scary Movie IV. A sad realisation of regurgitated renditions of a performer who no doubt has the potential to adapt and evolve to a higher standard but plays a simple game with big returns.
Haddish, to her credit ,while not completely shaking her now infamous turn in Girls Trip, does a decent enough job to inject a different perspective and personality upon a character that offers nothing but a joke in every sentence. She is undoubtedly charismatic and engaging. Taking the affirming lead of an intellectually strong female role rather than a damaging reflection and stereotype of a loud, obnoxious walking nightmare.
There is no depth here to explore. Made even more incompetent and infuriating with thematic elements of truly endearing pushes that surround illiteracy and dyslexia. Only to be sidelined for fart and vomit jokes with a void severely left wide open that ultimately is used for cheap tricks and tone-deaf humour.
Even conceptually in its climax Night School cheats its audience. Trying to drain every drop it can with false flags and repetitive jokes that take the films running time to an already uninteresting and excessive experience. An unfortunate and truly wasted venture that has something to offer but ignored and hidden away behind lacking comedy.
Night School is released on VOD across the US from today, December 11th.
