Project-Blu About Last Night . . . , by M. Enois Duarte

About Last Night . . .

By: M. Enois Duarte, 8.25.2009

The Movie Itself:
About Last Night … starts with a black screen and the voices of two men talking about the other man's sexual conquest. The conversation is lewd and vulgar, as one man telling his story slowly builds to the moment when his nameless partner will scream in ecstasy. The whole time, the other man listens in anticipation, repeating only, "Is she a professional?" There are two obvious meanings to the question: the unknown woman is sexually promiscuous, or she's a street walker. In either case, the point is the unidentified woman is well-versed in sexual pleasure and has allowed this very crude guy to join her for that one purpose. The effect of this conversation is to reveal something about the male psyche and his sexual prowess.

Director Edward Zwick, making his feature-length debut, does an interesting thing with this scene to express the ways in which men communicate. As the two yet-unnamed men gossip about the professionalism of the mysterious woman (and her anonymity plays an important part in this as well), we see the film's opening credits interrupt their conversation and reveal the passing of time. The entire sequence last only for a few minutes, but Zwick ingeniously makes it feel like hours, possibly even the whole day is wasted with these two talking about the other's sexual conquest. The exchange not only sets the tone for the rest of the movie, but also intimates how a man's mind, including his conversation with friends, is preoccupied with all things sexual.

The two men providing these shrewd observations into the sexual behavior of the male species are Danny (Rob Lowe) and Bernie (James Belushi), two Chicago bachelors. One night after a company softball game, Danny bumps into Debbie (Demi Moore), an advertising executive and her best friend Joan (Elizabeth Perkins), a kindergarten teacher. Sparks instantly fly between Danny and Debbie, and they go home together for what they believe to be a meaningless night of sex. Although they each enjoy their freedom as singles, the couple find themselves spending more time with one another and end up moving in together, despite their phobia of commitment. Soon, their sexually-charged relationship has the better of them and to make it work, they must realize they have something more important than their supposed freedom.

Based on the stage play, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, by David Mamet, the film remains just as interesting and funny as when it originally premiered in theaters. Mamet's penmanship for witty and incisive dialogue is still very evident, with many clever insights and quips about the ways in which men and women relate to one another. The cast is equally entertaining, particularly Belushi and Perkins as two very feisty and hot-tempered individuals who are clearly made for each other, but just don't know it yet. And while Moore does a terrific job of a strong woman trying to keep it together, Lowe's pretty-boy, nice-guy attitude can't seem to pick up the slack. Danny's thickheaded-ness can be distractingly annoying. Intentional? Maybe, but Lowe does very little to make that a possibility.

The only aspect of the film which doesn't leave a lasting impression is Zwick's direction, which is not all that bad either (see the above comments). But its visual style is very much a product of its time, making it very difficult for modern audiences to relate with the events on screen. And the endless music montages don't make it any easier. Nonetheless, About Last Night . . . perfectly captures (or at least, captured) the dating scene of the 80s culture and continues to offer some amusing thoughts. It works as a humorous diversion for a Saturday afternoon
Rating: 7/10

The Presentation:
Sony provides About Last Night . . . with an AVC transfer, at a 1.85:1 ratio, that is greatly underwhelming and sorely disappointing, looking more like an upconverted DVD than hi-def. Fine object and textural details are nicely improved, especially in outdoor daylight sequences, but nothing is exceptionally well defined. Low-lit interiors expose a slightly heavier grain structure than the rest of the picture, but there's plenty of visibility in the shadows nonetheless. Black levels are accurate but fail to provide any dimension, while contrast is average but gets the job done. The color palette is made up mostly of well-rendered secondary hues, with primaries appearing bright and clean. Flesh tones are generally natural, but actors sometimes look a bit flushed in a few scenes. While the picture quality is not a complete disaster, I would've expected a bit better from the catalog release.
Rating: 5.4/10

The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack included here is only slightly better than the picture, but still never reaches any great heights. The majority of the audio comes from the front soundstage, where it shows a nice spacious quality and delivers a clean rendering of the dialogue. Dynamic range is not very extensive, but it's smooth with a low bass reserved for the musical tracks. Atmospheric effects are the mix's most impressive feature and in use quite often. Only, they are not very convincing and sound artificially forced. In the front channels, however, they create a wide and pleasant soundscape, while in the rears, they generate an obvious attempt for ambiance. Though nowhere near demo-worthy, I found the lossless mix a nice surprise for a 80s stereo track.
Rating: 5.6/10

Overall Presentation: 5/10

** 9 - 10 = Reference / 8 = Excellent / 7 = Good /
6 = Satisfactory / 5 = Average / 4 & under = Below Average **

The Extras:
The special features on this Blu-ray edition of About Last Night . . . is unfortunately the weakest link in the package, but at least, Sony outfits the disc with one retrospective in HD and is BD-Live Enabled.

Edward Zwick and Rob Lowe in Conversation (42 min)
This little sit-down gives the two men an opportunity to reminisce on the film's production.
Original Making-of Featurette (SD, 7 min)
A fluff piece with cast and crew discussing the story and character motivations.
Trailers
A collection of previews for films already released on Blu-ray.

Rating: 4/10

Final Thoughts:
About Last Night . . . is an 80s romantic comedy which hasn't aged well visually, but the narrative is still entertaining and humorous. The Blu-ray arrives with an underwhelming picture quality and a slightly better audio presentation. The weak supplements round out the package, for an easy and amusing two-hour diversion on a Saturday afternoon.
Rating: 5/10