Predictable but funny, NIGHT SCHOOL delivers for Kevin Hart fans, when it finally gets to the classroom.
The first half hour is slow and only grin inducing as we meet Teddy Walker (Hart), the star salesman at a BBQ store, living a life be can barely afford and about to propose to his stunning girlfriend Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke).
After some mild amusing mishaps, Teddy finds himself needing to get his GED. Former high school rival Stewart (Taran Killam from SNL) is now the principal and will cut him NO slack, so Teddy is headed to Night School.
And finally the movie gets going with plenty of laughs.
Tiffany Haddish is fun as the Nurse Ratchet of school teachers, wielding physical and verbal attacks in perfect balance.
Teddy's salesman schmooze hilariously has no effect.
It's Teddy's fellow students that make the movie.
Rob Riggle (The Hangover, 21 Jump Street) is hilarious as a dim-bulb who's never grown up. His reactions to basic conversation are laugh out loud funny.
Al Madrigal is very funny as a former waiter who wants to be a dental hygienist and pop singer.
Romany Malco (The 40 Year Old Virgin) steals almost every scene he's in as a culture crossing Lyft driver with more pop catch phrases than you can count. He's laugh-out-loud funny and delivers every rant against technology and "Terminator" conspiracy theory to perfection.
Fat Joe (Bad Boys II) is a prisoner taking the course via video, providing one of the funniest scenes as he's jumped mid-class on the screen and the whole class shouts advice for the fight.
Mary Lynn Rajskub (24) shows serious comic talents as a repressed Mom/Wife who takes the course just to get away from her kids.
Her complete inability to engage in normal conversation if funny throughout.
Keith David (The Thing, Armageddon) is excellent as Teddy's Dad. It's been too long since I've seen him on screen and his facial expressions and line readings are flawless. He's great from start to finish.
Hart shines. He knows what his best talents are and he delivers on them, oozing charm, laughs and over-the-top reactions. This is the first film he's written and he's given himself plenty of moments that deliver for his fans.
Haddish is a lot of fun and holds her own, sparring in the ring and the classroom with Hart.
The entire "let's steal the midterm test" scene is hilarious, including the rooftop conclusion that Riggle and company slay.
It's VERY predictable. The last hour is consistently funny.
Even when you know where the story is going (which is always if you've seen a movie in the last 30 years) it takes some nice side-roads into unexpected territory, Teddy's fast food job being the perfect example.
NIGHT SCHOOL graduates with a B- with some terrific bits and pieces that made me laugh a lot (once it finally crawled into the classroom!).
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