Night School fails to reach its comedic potential

LANDON ROBERTS

Contributing Writer

When the trailer for “Night School” dropped earlier this year, it looked like Kevin Hart, paired with the hilarious Tiffany Haddish, could make for an entertaining comedy duo. This pairing might have seemed destined for greatness, but the final product presented in “Night School” was an annoying, unbearable test of how many times these actors could make the same joke in different ways.

After losing his job, Hart’s Teddy Walker — a high school dropout — is forced to attend night school, taught by Haddish’s eclectic Carrie, in order to earn his GED diploma. Meanwhile, Teddy has to balance his crumbling engagement and his challenge with learning disorders, such as dyslexia.

“Night School” portrays dyslexia surprisingly well, showing how it affects a person’s learning process while also presenting how one can overcome this disorder. While the sentiment is quite inspiring, it is the only thing the film truly succeeds at.

The rest of the supporting cast of night school attendees is made up of famous comedians, including Rob Riggle and Al Madrigal. These characters are completely dull and rely heavily on stereotypical humor that is borderline offensive and nonsensical.

Madrigal portrays Luis, a Mexican immigrant. And whether it be one-liners about “illegal immigration” or poking fun at his accent and pronunciation of certain words, the film constantly makes jokes at his expense and about immigrants as a whole.

These are not the only jokes that don’t land. The film might be a comedy, but the comical moments are so bland and unoriginal that the humor becomes predictable and boring. The runtime drags on, emphasizing how lazy and formulaic the story is.

In a nutshell, the humor in “Night School” can be described as a Haddish-Hart improv, made up of unpleasant noises and jokes emphasizing Hart’s height. With similar comedic styles, the pair’s improvised moments become a nonstop repetition of the same jokes over and over again. The repeated jokes lead to a chemistry that feels unnatural and unrealistic, which keeps the story from moving forward due to the film’s heavy reliance on the interactions between Hart and Haddish.

Slapstick riddles this film as well and it can become incredibly ridiculous — at times, it walks the line of being cartoonish. For example, a scene where Hart accidentally blows up his workplace while inside and leaves unscathed plays out like a skit from Looney

Tunes. The creators could have turned these moments into solid punchlines — if they had been aware of them. Instead, they rely on Hart’s high-pitched gibberish.

Most comedies starring Kevin Hart boil down to short jokes and loud, obnoxious humor. Even with this persistent comedic style, I have found some sort of entertainment through his chemistry with other actors, such as Dwayne Johnson in “Central Intelligence” or Ice Cube in the “Ride Along” series.

“Night School” takes all of Hart’s typical joke setups and combines them with Haddish’s similar comedic style, condensing them in the dullest way possible. With the lousy chemistry, monotonous characters and humor that never lands, “Night School” is a genuine drag and not worth anyone’s time.

Upcoming Events

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WED. 10/3

The ICA Sessions Featuring Yeni Nostalji

The Institute for Contemporary Art is partnering with Carlos Chafin of In Your Ear Studios to launch The ICA Sessions, which highlight different musicians. This week, local group Yeni Nostalji will perform a “haunting, intimate, alluring and playful” set that will last roughly for an hour. A happy hour will run from 6-7 p.m. followed by the set from 7:15-8 p.m. Enjoy free snacks and a cash bar at the Ellwood Thompson’s Cafe. Free.

6-8 p.m., ICA (601 W. Broad St.)

FRI. 10/5

One Vote Documentary

“One Vote” is a documentary filmed on Election Day in 2016 that captures the stories of a diverse array of American voters. The ICA will show the documentary and hold a conversation with the film’s director, Christine Woodhouse, after the showing. Attendees will also be able to check their voter registration status or register to vote at the event. Free snacks and a cash bar will be available at the ICA’s Ellwood Thompson’s Cafe after the event.

6-8 p.m. ICA Auditorium (601 W. Broad St.)

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FRI. 10/5

College Radio Day — Karaoke in the Compass

Join WVCW radio in celebrating College Radio Day by singing karaoke in the Compass. Sing a song of your choice for a chance to win prizes.

12-1 p.m., VCU Compass

FRI. 10/5

Global Cafe

The Global Education Office invites members of the VCU community to its monthly Global Cafe event. This student-centered program aims to increase awareness and appreciation of the cultural diversity at VCU and allows participants to meet and mingle with other students from around the world.

LETTER TO THE EDI -

1-2 p.m., West Grace North Residence Hall, room 1030J (830 W. Grace St.)

FRI. 10/5

RVA First Fridays Art Walk

Join numerous local shops, galleries and venues in celebrating the creative cultural of the Richmond community with the monthly First Fridays event. Locations typically start events around 5 p.m. and the walk takes place primarily on Broad Street between Monroe and 7th streets. Some events are also held off Broad street, on Marshall, Grace, Franklin and Leigh streets. For a specific list of places and events, like and follow RVA First Fridays on Facebook.

Times vary, Broad Street

Learn something

SAT. 10/6

RVA MakerFest

More than 80 makers around Richmond will display their work and teach attendees about their craft. There will be opportunities to participate in activities for both adults and children and purchase work from artists.

12-5 p.m., Science Museum of Virginia (2500 W. Broad St.)

Quote of the week

“Sometimes I had too many beers. I liked beer. I still like beer. But I never drank beer to the point of blacking out, and I never sexually assaulted anyone.”

— supreme court nominee, judge brett kavanaugh