Parents' Guide to

Night School

By Tara McNamara, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Crude, profanity-heavy comedy also offers real lessons.

Movie PG-13 2018 111 minutes
Night School Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 13 parent reviews

age 18+

Offensively horrible

The review says the redeeming quality is that it shows learning disabilities. NO! As soon as the character is diagnosed, the "solution" is to literally BEAT him until he gets the answers correct. You read that correctly, physical beatings and shouting at him until somehow he gets smarter. Seriously Common Sense Media, how can you give this anything over 1 star??

This title has:

Too much violence
age 18+

Not PG-14

Shows vibrators, talks about butt sex, extremely foul language, and sexual talk. Adult themes and situations. NOT for kids, not for teens, 18+ ONLY!

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13):
Kids say (26):

Haddish and Hart are a comedic dream team: Her blunt, oh-no-you-didn't style is the perfect foil for Hart's brand of "let me explain" humor. Their scenes are laugh factories -- the moment Teddy and Carrie meet, the heat is palpable -- but the rest of the film falls flat. The storyline with Teddy's girlfriend is tiresome, and it drains the momentum from Hart's performance. And the script relies on getting laughs from insults, shocking sexual comments, and clichés/stereotypes (including Rob Riggle's muscle-headed dummy, Al Madrigal's Mexican immigrant with a thick accent, and Mary Lynn Rajskub's horny housewife).

The movie's "message" is a bit of a misdirect. It pretends to be about the importance of telling the truth, complete with a somber inspirational score rising under Teddy's big speech, in which he renounces his old ways and advises others that honesty is the best policy. By using that moment on something tried and true, director Malcolm D. Lee is able to slide in the movie's actual takeaway: A struggling student who's labeled as "dumb" might really have a learning difference. Carrie's solutions for helping Teddy are doubtful but can be forgiven, since this is intended as a light comedy. Very few films exist about dyslexia, and Night School may be the first to address dyscalculia and auditory processing disorders. Disguised as a laugh fest with two of Hollywood's hottest comics, Night School cleverly and unexpectedly provides an education on what it's like to have learning differences and how they can be overcome.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: September 28, 2018
  • On DVD or streaming: January 1, 2019
  • Cast: Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, Rob Riggle
  • Director: Malcolm D. Lee
  • Inclusion Information: Black directors, Black actors
  • Studio: Universal Pictures
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 111 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: crude and sexual content throughout, language, some drug references and violence
  • Last updated: March 31, 2022

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