In Night School, Kevin Hart’s Teddy Walker, a high school drop-out, has been incredibly successful as a salesman. He is the embodiment of the saying, “it’s better to be lucky than good… but what if you’re both?” The thing is… when his luck runs out, the lack of an education will handicap any chance he possesses of securing gainful employment again. This man needs his GED stat.
Since he dropped out of high school, his impeccable gift of sales finds him near the top rung of the ladder to take over an Atlanta barbeque retail establishment. That will undoubtedly ensure an enriching future.
Tiffany Haddish is Carrie, a teacher who is overworked and underpaid. Despite her low pay and high stress, she is in heaven due to the fact that she is enriching minds and improving lives. Carrie has answered her calling. In walks Teddy to her Night School class that preps souls to pass the GED test and enrich their lives. She’s had countless challenging students in her day, but there is none quite like this cat.
Carrie’s entire GED class is comprised of men and women who have differing backgrounds and reasons for being at the local high school each evening. They all share one thing, belief that this endeavor is life-changing. Not only for themselves, but for everyone who knows them.
Credit must go to the screenplay collective of a half-dozen writers, led by Hart and Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors, The Muppets) for the richness of this group. So often in comedies, and honestly dramas for that matter, the characters that encircle our protagonists and antagonists are two-dimensional at best and flat as a cardboard cut-out at the worst. In Night School, this is a layered group that graciously invites the audience to be drawn-in by their varied plot contributions. It makes the laughs more bodacious and the softer, more personal moments, become enriched with raw truth.
Teddy is joined in his GED class by Theresa (24 star Mary Lynn Rajskub), Mila (Anne Winters), Mackenzie (the always hilarious Rob Riggle), Jaylen (Romany Malco, of The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Luis (Al Madrigal), Mila (Anne Winters) and Jacob Batalon, who slays it as a prison inmate enjoying his educational experience via Skype.
Each actor firmly knows their place within the circle of the ensemble and each is given many moments to shine. Sure, this is a star-driven vehicle for Hart and Haddish and their cinematic chemistry is off the charts. But, everyone else’s investment in their characters elevates the Night School experience for all—on the screen and those sitting in seats fully engaged in the movie magic.
Haddish has been on one of the most incredible runs of recent memory. After stealing our hearts and tickling our funny bones in Girls Trip , she then stole scenes from the extraordinary basketball talents at the heart of Uncle Drew. With each successive effort, she continues to beautifully illustrate why she is a comedienne whose fortunes will only increase. Her acting dance card could not be fuller with a slew of upcoming projects, including Tyler Perry’s Nobody’s Fool.
Hart himself has been on a decade-long run that has made him one of the most in-demand and commercially successful comic actors working today. Having Hart and Haddish join forces is a stroke of genius. They are a divine dream team, with both performers working at the top of their game. The fact that their first film endeavor together is a story of this nature speaks volumes about the great minds behind the scenes.
Executive Producer Will Packer has the Midas touch, that much is firmly proven. But, I’m not speaking to his financial success with box office receipts. Packer knows storytelling and the art of putting the puzzle pieces together in a manner that continually provides audiences with experiences that are simultaneously enjoyable, hilarious, emotionally centered and smartly synchronized with the tandem that is cast talent and cast chemistry. He could have cast Haddish and Hart in any other film, but it was this tale that was worthy of their shared brilliance. Further proof of the movie majesty of the young producer.
Tapping director Malcolm D. Lee (Girls Trip, The Best Man, The Best Man Holiday) to helm this charming comedy further illustrates my point about Packer. He has worked with a bevy of brilliant helmers. But, there is something innately ingrained in Lee that meshed marvelously with a humorously told tale of second chances and that uniquely American dream that embodies the idea that if you work hard enough and play by the rules… there is nothing stopping anyone from joining the club known as success.
The strength of the ensemble has certainly been saluted here. Yet, I would be remiss to not spotlight another casting triumph. Taran Killam shines Stewart, the principal of the school. We learn early that Stewart and Teddy were classmates back in the day. Stewart always had an inherent jealously streak when it came to Teddy. Now that he is in control of the school, and thus the evening educational program, it is time for some payback. Killam manages to be varying things to various people. He is a character who knows how to read a room. Whether he is “talking black,” as Teddy accuses him of repeatedly, or speaking to Teddy’s fiancé Lisa (the delightful Megalyn Echikunwoke) in a business manner, the SNL star exhibits true thespian flexibility of the highest order.
Where Night School really scores is how it utilizes humor to deliver a triumphant message to its audience that warms the heart and soul. Night School is a true to its core comedy. Yet, its true strength lies in how the film illustrates the to-be-lauded concept of it’s never too late to improve one’s station in life.
It takes a small army to make a film. That being said, it’s hard to ignore the fact that this is a Packer movie. His hand prints are all over Night School and as such, further enhances the belief that the supremely talented producer has become a brand. What I mean by that is when witnessing a Will Packer movie, you keenly know the quality will be of the highest order from multiple levels. His movies are experiences worthy of your time, and yes… money. Heading to the cinema is not a thrifty endeavor. But, when the film provides the funny and the feels and can be experienced in an environment that is shared with others, it resolutely reminds us of why the medium of the movies has become our national pastime. Seriously, not everyone loves baseball. Everyone loves the movies. Thanks to Packer, Hart, Haddish, Lee and everyone involved in Night School, the movie-going experience is one that not only puts a smile on your face, but dare we say… may even inspire a few folks to take that challenging step to better oneself.
That may be the highest compliment of all.
Grade: B+