About Last Night... - 1986
I almost wish the studio had used the original title of David Mamet's screenplay from which this was adapted - Sexual Perversity in Chicago - for this film. Yeah. That seems far more germane to and descriptive of the dialogue and themes at hand. The opening sequence between Rob Lowe and Jim Belushi has a real rat-a-tat rhythm to it. It sets the tone early for this, especially with its repeated refrain:
Lowe - "Was she a pro?"
Belushi - "At this point, we don't know."
But, that's just the thing. It's a little hard to really locate this in time. It seems to share several distinct "spiritual lineages" - one a more adult, romanticized take on the "vulgar sex comedy" whose forebearers were pics like Porky's and its ilk. The second is a Brat-packy spiritual sequel to St. Elmo's Fire. About Last Night... sort of wants to have its cake and eat it too. It plays like a story about real relationships and adulthood and romantic flourishes, but is far more uncouth than films like When Harry Met Sally. Which I guess is to say its equal parts heart, brains, and...genitals?
The latter is mostly provided by the completely over the top verbal histrionics of the tag team duo of Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins, whose acidic presentation here is exceptional. I cannot say I liked her one bit (I much prefer the more sanguine, sweet Perkins we meet in Big, for instance), but she is incredibly effective as the counter-punch to Belushi's sex gags. I think he is more than censored (read: canceled) in 2020, but I suppose he is moderately amusing in the "bros before hos" character mold.
But the picture is really all about the attraction, chemistry, and evolution of Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. It's difficult not to see their visages and let your mind wander to off-camera stuff...to get "meta," if you will. The two are absolutely massive in the public eye at this point, and to describe their romance as "steamy" might be underselling it.
Still, it's more than just the hots on display here. I think the reason this film works (when it does) is because of the authenticity on display. In a real sense, About Last Night... falls into rom com genre tropes. But, because of the characterization and writing, it seems to transcend them too. We actually believe that this could be a real couple navigating their first experience of "living together" with all of its prerequisite experiences. By that I mean, the euphoria of love, the growth of physical intimacy, and the subsequent feeling of the walls closing in as time passes. The moment when the cute little things become the annoying big things. From when not talking about the "elephants in the room" is just "how he is" to when the barriers of communication become insurmountable. About traverses this melodramatic minefield with real grace and aplomb. It has one of the most real final confrontations in memory, and it ALMOST (so close!) nails the landing. For this, I could probably be talked into a 4 star rating, but for now I'll truncate it to a mere 3.5.
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