Itself adapted from a David Mamet play, a “Brat Pack” effort from the 1980s gets an update via 2014’s About Last Night. Single pals Bernie (Kevin Hart) and Danny (Michael Ealy) often hit the bars together, and that’s where Bernie woos woman after woman. On the other hand, Danny still hasn’t gotten over Alison (Paula Patton), so he tends to remain on the sidelines.

Both encounter romantic complications when they meet friends Joan (Regina Hall) and Debbie (Joy Bryant). Joan hooks up with Bernie and enters into a tumultuous on and off relationship. Debbie and Danny also connect – and go all the way on Night One – but they take the more serious path, one that also leads to its ups and downs. We follow the pair of couples as they wind their way through their love affairs.

Admission: I never saw the original 1986 About Last Night, though I can’t explain why. Maybe I thought it seemed a little too “late 20s” for my then-19-year-old self, or maybe I just couldn’t stomach two hours with Jim Belushi. Seeing the 2014 Night makes me curious to watch the original in a compare/contrast way, as I wonder how it differs from its predecessor.

The 2014 edition doesn’t dazzle, but it delivers a mostly positive relationship film. Probably the biggest negative comes from its length – or its pacing. At 100 minutes, I can’t claim Night brings us a flick with an excessive running time, but I do feel it runs too long for the material at hand. It feels like it loses a lot of steam as it goes and would work better with some tightening.

Still, much of the movie entertains, largely due to the Hart/Hall dynamic. Sure, they exist for obvious comedic relief, but they succeed in that role. They show terrific chemistry and enliven their potentially cliché scenes.

Ealy and Bryant get the more boring parts, but they seem fine as the leads. Do they do anything to enliven the characters? Not really, but the movie doesn’t require that from them. They need to be likable enough to make us care about them to follow the ups and downs of their relationship. While they can seem dull compared to Bernie and Joan, they ground the film and bring the more obvious truths to the surface.

In the end, About Last Night delivers a reasonably enjoyable experience. While it meanders at times, it still offers enough charm and amusement to make it worth a look.

About Last Night appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The image looked consistently terrific.

Sharpness was always positive. Virtually no softness interfered with the presentation, so it remained tight and well-defined at all times. I noticed no issues with shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes failed to appear. Print flaws also failed to mar the presentation.

Night went with an amber-influenced palette typical of the romantic comedy genre. It also could favor orange and teal like many modern movies, but those didn’t inform the image to a heavy degree. Within the movie’s color design, the tones seemed solid. Blacks were dark and deep, while shadows demonstrated nice smoothness. This was a consistently satisfying image.

As for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix of Night, it showed scope typical of the rom-com soundfield. This meant a limited soundscape without much to make it stand out from the crowd. The club shots added a bit of immersiveness, as did a few other exteriors, but those instances remained fairly infrequent. Most of the flick came with a lot of ambience and not much else.

Audio quality seemed good. Speech was distinctive and natural, without edginess or other issues. Music seemed warm and lush, while effects showed nice clarity and accuracy. Again, nothing about the mix impressed, but it suited the story.

When we move to extras, we locate a handful of featurettes. An Un-Romantic Comedy goes for 14 minutes, 38 seconds and includes notes from producer Will Packer and actors Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, Michael Ealy, Christopher McDonald and Paula Patton. We look at story/characters as well as updates for this version, cast and performances. With almost 15 minutes at its disposal, I hoped “Comedy” would provide a decent look at the production, but unfortunately, it doesn’t tell us much. It sticks with a lot of praise and lacks substance.

With the three-minute, 53-second About Last Night Advice, we hear from McDonald, Ealy, Packer, Hart, Hall, Bryant and actor Adam Rodriguez. They offer their thoughts on relationships. Yawn.

I Love You? goes for five minutes, 39 seconds and features Packer, Bryant, Hart, Hall, Ealy, and Rodriguez. They reflect on the use of the titular phrase and its impact on relationships. Did I already say “yawn”? This is a companion to “Advice” and it seems equally useless.

Finally, we locate the nine-minute, four-second Word on the Street. It features various “people on the street” as they offer their own dating advice. While more fun than the prior pieces, “Street” still lacks substance and doesn’t go much of anywhere.

The disc opens with ads for Amazing Spider-Man 2, That Awkward Moment and Pompeii. These also appear under Previews along with ads for The Monuments Men and Gambit. No trailer for Night shows up here.

An update of the 1980s flick, About Last Night becomes a mostly successful reworking. While it can drag at times, it usually gives us a nice mix of comedy and relationship drama. The Blu-ray delivers excellent picture as well as positive audio and forgettable bonus features. About Last Night doesn’t dazzle, but it becomes an enjoyable romantic comedy.