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Date: 10/3/2018
What I’m watching this week is a new comedy with Kevin Hart, but where I watched it was equally interesting.
In theaters: Night School
Comedian Kevin Hart returns to the screen with a fairly funny look at a young man who is confronted with the fact that he must get his GED to move forward in his life.
Hart played Teddy, a successful salesperson at a barbeque grill store. His boss likes him so much he’s leaving the shop to him when he retires. That all changes the night Teddy proposes to his girlfriend Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke). The shop burns down in a freak accident and Teddy is forced to find a new job, without revealing to Lisa that he is a high school dropout and essentially broke.
Reluctantly he returns to his old high school where to his horror the new principal (Taran Killam) is Stewart, a classmate he used to tease. Naturally Stewart tries to prevent Teddy from attending the GED night school classes, but has to relent under pressure from the teacher of those classes, Carrie, played by Tiffany Haddish.
This is an ensemble comedy with a number of accomplished comedy character actors as the fellow night school students. There are laughs here, but Hart, who coproduced and co-wrote the film, included some sentiment as well.
Hart, who can be a very unsubtle comedian, is well matched with Haddish who is capable of stealing every scene she is in. Haddish, a former stand-up comic, has been in a string of recent films including “Uncle Drew” and “Girls Trip.” She especially shines in this film in a sequence in which she attempts to get Teddy to concentrate by putting him in a ring and fighting him.
Director Malcolm D. Lee hit box-office and critical success with “Girls Trip,” and he clearly knows how to make a comedy that rolls along with a blend of laugh and drama.
I enjoyed the film although I was surprised that one character used the “N” word several times. It really didn’t match the tone of the film.
New theater
I saw this film at the new Regal Cinemas at MGM Springfield. The Regal is significant as it’s the first movie theater in downtown Springfield in decades.
Each of the seven auditoriums is equipped with the recliner seats with a table for food. They are indeed pretty opulent and bring an additional level of pleasure to watching a film.
What gives the Regal a sizable edge over the competition in the area is the fact there is a full bar in the lobby and you’re allowed to bring your beverage into the theater. There is also a concession area that offers all of the usual treats, but has an extensive menu with actual food: burgers, pizza, sandwiches, wraps and tacos are among the many offerings at reasonable prices.
As a former theater manager, I can tell you a theater relies on its concession stand to make money, so this is a very smart move. The Regal has easily become my theater of choice.