Movie Review: Rough Night

Movie Review: Rough Night
Rough Night starts off very funny, but unfortunately the humor wanes as time goes on. With such an A-list cast, the movie should be much funnier; unfortunately, the script is not very strong during the second half of the film.

College friends Jess (Scarlett Johansson), Alice (Jillian Bell), Blair (Zoe Kravitz), and Frankie (Ilana Glazer) decide to reunite, ten years later, for Jess's bachelorette party, which involves a weekend girls trip in Miami. Jess's friend Pippa (Kate McKinnon), whom she met while doing study abroad in Australia during college, will also be joining them. It's been a while since the four (+1) girls have been together, and they've all changed a bit in the last ten years: Jess is running for office, Blair has become a mom and kind of a trophy wife, although she and her husband have separated, and Frankie is involved with social activism. When they accidentally kill the stripper that they hired, however, their trip turns into a nightmare, and they have to figure out how to dispose of his body without getting caught and thrown in jail.

The cast in this movie is comprised of a group of very funny women, and the first half of the movie was great. Jillian Bell is always hilarious, and I love Kate McKinnon from SNL and from Ghostbusters. Kravitz and Johansson aren't known for being as funny, but they make do with what they are given; same for Glazer. After the group kills the stripper, though, the movie can't really decide if it wants to still be a comedy (what it was marketed as) or if it wants to be more serious; because of this, even though there are some dangerous situations going on, it's not surprising that we don't fear for any of the main characters, since there's a good chance (since it's a comedy film) that they will live.

Yes, see this movie. It's ideal for a matinee or if you just want a summer "popcorn" movie to watch (I know I use that expression a lot, but it's true - sometimes it's fun just to turn your brain off for a bit). The film has a few guest stars who are great, too, including Ty Burrell and Demi Moore, as a kinky couple who lives next door to the girls' Miami house, and Enrique Murciano and Dean Winters as two men who unexpectedly show up at the house. Paul W. Downs (Broad City) plays Peter, Jess's fiancee, as well. I wouldn't pay full price (night prices) for this film, but for a matinee it's not a bad choice.

Rough Night
is in theaters today, June 16th, and is rated R with a runtime of 101 minutes. 3 stars out of 5.

Popular Posts

Review: Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins

Upcoming and GIVEAWAY: Mamma Mia! at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, April 23-28 {ends Dec. 12}

REVIEW and GIVEAWAY: Allegiant Nonstop game center (Warren, MI) is fun for the whole family