On Monday February 3, 2014 LBS was invited to AMC Movie Theaters for a private screening of new movie About Last Night followed by a special dinner hosted by Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant and producer Will Packer. If you’ve been paying any attention to the TV (or Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) lately there has been heavy promotion for the film which follows two friends who go from spending nights at the bar to steamy nights in the bedroom. The movie is a remake of the 1986 original.
As the theater packed in and everyone got seated producer Will Packer greeted guests, letting them know that they were in for a treat. As he was doing so, actor Kevin Hart made a surprise appearance to watch the film with everyone. Kevin let the audience know that it was his first time watching the film. He wanted to watch it with an audience because he loves seeing the reaction as the movie is being shown.
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Kevin Hart before the screening of the movie.
The View host Sherri Shepherd was also in attendance to watch the film.
After the screening, some of NYC’s influencers and bloggers headed to the 40/40 club for a special Q&A dinner with the cast. With Packer administering the Q&A the cast delved into their on-screen chemistry, how they felt about remaking the movie and whether or not they were worried the movie would be labeled another “black film.”
On remaking the movie:
Kevin stated that it was not about redoing something that was already done. It was more about taking the movie, modernizing it, and making it their own. Making sure to be real about how relationships are and show both sides of the story.
Later on in the evening, Packer told us that when the material first came to him another producer had already tried to film the movie with caucasian actors but they were apprehensive about stepping into a remake. When Packer brought the script to Kevin, Regina, Joy and Michael there was a fearlessness. “For them, they looked at it as a new project and that’s really how we embraced it. As a new film, for a new generation.”
The on-screen chemistry between Kevin (Bernie) and Regina (Joan):
Kevin joked with Regina about how he respected her for not taking advantage of him and keeping it professional during their scenes although she had every chance to. He went on to say “I’ve never clicked on camera faster with anybody in my life than I did Regina, that’s guy or female. Our comedic chemistry, our emotional chemistry, we didn’t have to search for it.”
On how Regina and Joy related to their characters:
The ladies expressed that the two have known each other for a while so there was a natural chemistry going in. Regina mentioned Joy was someone she would hang out with off-screen so being able to play a role like Joan and Debbie came easy to them.
On how Kevin Hart’s role as Bernie is different from many of his previous roles:
“For me, Bernie, nobody has seen me this raunchy in a film. You haven’t seen me cussing or having sex. The way the movie opens up is so blunt. It’s a shock value but it sets the tone. I was not only excited about the material on [the] page, I was excited about what I can possibly bring to the material on [the] page.”
On whether the movie would be deemed as another “black film”:
“At the end of the day, you can’t justify a film being a “black movie” when you are looking at 70 million plus at the box office, that’s a universal film. That means you are making quality films, so I think the stigma is slowly getting released. At the end of the day, numbers show. If the numbers show, you can’t deny crossover material. A film is a film. If it’s a good film, the end result is that everyone will support it.” Kevin stated.
Kevin is absolutely right aside from it being an all black casts, the actors do a great job of modernizing the film and making it relatable for the current generation. If your looking for a great movie to watch on Valentine’s Day I recommend taking your boo or your girls (if your single, Michael Ealy will be enough man you’ll need for that night) and enjoy this movie. The first few minutes will have you dying of laughter!
About Last Night hits theaters February 14th. Will you be heading to the movies to watch?
[Photo Credit: Getty Images, Zimbio.com]