I would have seen it years ago if I had been made aware of how great Edward Zwick’s movie was. I had always known About Last Night was an 80’s classic, but I associated it with cheesy teenage comedies like The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, and Pretty in Pink. And while those movies have a certain charm, I put them all into the same category. By association, I also classified About Last Night with those movies because of the stars Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. Over time, I, for whatever reason, associated the plot with two people who met, had a wild night of sex, and then spent the rest of the movie regretting that decision. This story didn’t interest me either. I’ve seen that movie play out hundreds of times on the screen. Had I not stumbled upon About Last Night on cable one night, I might never have seen it. Had I not, I may have forever missed out on a good movie.

About Last Night was Zwick’s first shot at directing a big-budget movie. He has since gone on to direct some of the better dramas over the last quarter-century, most notably Glory (1989) and Legends of the Fall (1994). Our movies to his credit include Blood Diamond (2006),  Defiance (2008), and Love and Other Drugs (2010). While he only averages about one movie every three years, he produces hits. Zwick cast Lowe (most notably recognized from the NBC television show The West Wing) and Moore (Ghost, GI Jane) even though they had starred in St. Elmo’s Fire together just a year beforehand. Perhaps filming was complete before the release of St. Elmo’s Fire. Nonetheless, seeing the same two stars as leads (especially relatively unknown actors at the time) was different.

In About Last Night, Danny (Lowe) and Debbie (Moore) are young singles who enjoy going out and fraternizing with members of the opposite sex. Their no strings attached policy to their sex lives has served them both well. In addition to sleeping around sometimes nightly, Danny and Debbie get a kick out of sharing stories with their best friends. Danny’s best friend is his co-worker Bernie (James Belushi – Read Heat, K-9), while Debbie shares her stories with her best friend and roommate Joan (Elizabeth Perkins – the Showtime series Weeds). Danny and Debbie’s night of passion is, at least at first. But each of them slowly realizes that they might want something more and that the something more they want might be because of the other person.

Now the acting could be better. Lowe and Moore will never be accused of peaking too early in their careers. But they are believable as two naive individuals with no idea what they want in a relationship or even if they want a relationship. They stumble over each other, learn to adjust to each other’s nuisances, struggle with conveying their emotions, and have sex anywhere and everywhere. The Bernie (portraying a portly James Belushi as a playboy? Seriously) is less believable, and Joan (Elizabeth Perkins is considerably hotter at age 50 than she was at 25).

The movie takes place in Chicago, and the city elements are part of the appeal. The wild nightlife, softball/baseball, and windy days at the park play into the storyline. The same corny background music loops through numerous scenes of the couple getting to know each other. In all honesty, the movie would have been incomplete without it. It doesn’t have that one song that has seemed to stand the test of time that two of its counterparts, Don’t You Forget About Me from The Breakfast Club and the theme song from St. Elmo’s Fire, had.

What I liked most about the movie was that the relationship’s build-up didn’t take too long are occur too early. From the first time they hooked up to the time they moved in together, the start of their relationship happened quickly, but it didn’t feel rushed. Danny and Debbie had already started living with each other with more than an hour left in the movie. There were plenty of times to see the relationship’s struggles and have the film reach some conclusion (whatever that might be) without it force-fed down our throats.

Relationships have always been both dynamically unique and always will be. This is why a good relationship movie will continue to be so no matter its year of release or the year it is viewed. Regardless of the time, individuals will be able to relate to the emotions felt by each person. About Last Night is one of those movies.

Plot 8/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry7/10
Acting 6/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing 8/10
Cinematography 8/10
Sound 8/10
Hook and Reel 7.5/10
Universal Relevance 7.5/10
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