About Last Night (1986 film)

About Last Night (styled as "About Last Night...") is a 1986 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Edward Zwick, and starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore as Chicago yuppies who enter a committed relationship for the first time. The screenplay by Tim Kazurinsky and Denise DeClue is based on the 1974 David Mamet play Sexual Perversity in Chicago. The film received positive reviews. It was remade as the 2014 About Last Night (without the ellipsis).

Plot
Danny and Bernie are best friends living in Chicago, who regale themselves with ribald tales of debauchery, (mostly courtesy of Bernie.) Debbie and Joan are two roommates in the city who dream of love, but settle for what they can get. One day Debbie attends a softball game, and notices a good-looking guy named Danny playing for the other team, 'Mother's,' (a popular bar in the Chicago Gold Coast who sponsors the team), and they flirt a little bit. Though her team loses, Debbie heads down to Mother's after the game for the victory party, and runs into Danny, and the two later wind up in his bed. Though neither one is a stranger to one-night stands, this one just seems different. They begin hanging out, mostly at his place, and they soon decide she should just move in. Both in their early twenties, this is their first attempt at a serious relationship; neither having lived with a partner, nor have they said the "L" word before. The film follows their tumultuous first year together, (and apart), including their first Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve.

Cast

 * Rob Lowe as Danny Martin
 * Demi Moore as Debbie Sullivan
 * James Belushi as Bernie Litko
 * Elizabeth Perkins as Joan Hunter
 * George DiCenzo as Mr. Favio
 * Robin Thomas as Steve Carlson
 * Megan Mullally as Pat
 * Rosanna DeSoto as Mrs. Lyons (as Rosana De Soto)
 * Tim Kazurinsky as Colin
 * Kevin Bourland as Ira
 * Catherine Keener as Cocktail Waitress

Box office
The film was a box office success, grossing $38,702,310 domestically. It was the 26th highest-grossing movie of 1986, and the 10th highest-grossing R-rated movie of 1986.

Critical response
The film gained positive reviews. Roger Ebert gave it 4 out of 4 stars, writing in his review that "About Last Night . . .  is one of the rarest of recent American movies, because it deals fearlessly with real people, instead of with special effects." The lead performances were especially praised, with Ebert writing "Lowe and Moore, members of Hollywood's "Brat Pack," are survivors of last summer's awful movie about yuppie singles, St. Elmo's Fire. This is the movie St. Elmo's Fire should have been. Last summer's movie made them look stupid and shallow. About Last Night . . .  gives them the best acting opportunities either one has ever had, and they make the most of them."

The film holds a 61% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 28 reviews. On IMDb the film has rating of 6.2/10 based on 13429 reviews.

Soundtrack
The film's music soundtrack album was released on EMI Records. The album includes music by Sheena Easton, Michael Henderson, John Oates; as well as Jermaine Jackson, Bob Seger, Paul Davis and John Waite.

Personnel

 * Sheena Easton - vocals (track 1 & 3)
 * John Oates - vocals, guitar (track 2)
 * Jermaine Jackson - vocals (track 4)
 * J. D. Souther - vocals, guitar (track 5)
 * Bob Seger - acoustic guitar, guitar, piano, vocals (track 6)
 * Nancy Shanks - vocals (track 7)
 * Michael Henderson - vocals, bass (track 8)
 * Paul Davis - vocals (track 9)
 * Eric Ambel – guitar, vocals (track 10)
 * Manny Caiati – bass guitar, vocals (track 10)
 * Scott Kempner – guitar, vocals (track 10)
 * Frank Funaro – drums, vocals (track 10)
 * John Waite - vocals (track 11)