Night School
Cast Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart
◖111 minutes ◖Comedy ◖M ◖A V L D S ◖In-seat A group of misfits attend adult classes in the hope they’ll pass an exam and finish high school. Scenes are set up for chuckles – there’s a white headmaster doing a “black voice”, a logic-defying seduction scene and Kevin Hart dressed in a chicken suit being belt-whipped – but the energy and real laughs of this classroom comedy come from the upbeat banter between the irrepressible Hart, who plays student Teddy, and the splendid Tiffany Haddish, in the role of tough but inspirational teacher Carrie.
The first time these two cross paths (stopped at a red light in their convertibles), their dialogue is like a hot coal being tossed from one car to the other. Shakespeare it might not be but entertaining this film certainly is.
Through zany characters and the juxtaposition of offbeat ideas, director Malcolm D. Lee (Girls Trip) manages to deliver strong themes of honesty, camaraderie and the importance of being proud of who you are. Brought together, they make this likeable but lightweight story feel happily satisfying.