Night School

Despite boasting some gifted and talented collaborators on both sides of the camera, Night School needs a lecture about paying attention and applying itself in class.

Indeed, some remedial screenwriting courses might be in order for the creators of this arrested-development comedy that mostly squanders the high-profile pairing of Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish.

Hart plays Teddy, a blue-collar salesman who’s afraid of losing his affluent girlfriend (Megalyn Echikunwoke), so he’s hides secrets from her — like pretending to work as a financial analyst alongside his best friend (Ben Schwartz) and never admitting he’s a high-school dropout.

In order to get the job, he needs to earn his GED, which forces him to return to his old high school for adult evening classes. He expects a smooth ride, but instead encounters a feisty if supportive teacher (Haddish) who won’t allow any lazy shortcuts, and an old teenage rival (Taran Killam) who’s now the principal.

The classroom mixes the scheming Teddy into an obligatory batch of quirky misfits — played by Romany Malco, Rob Riggle, Mary Lynn Rajskub, rapper Fat Joe, and others — each of whom is saddled with a sympathy ploy disguised as a motive for self-fulfillment. They test the theory that everyone deserves a second chance.

The contrived screenplay, cobbled together by Hart and five other writers, misses many of its broad satirical targets, preferring instead to dwell on the humor found in pronouncing words like “hypotenuse.”

The haphazardly assembled film can’t withstand the smallest degree of logical scrutiny, as it’s too detached from reality to generate much of a rooting interest despite strained attempts to convey lessons about perseverance, self-esteem, and compassion for those with learning disabilities. Haddish, re-teaming with director Malcolm Lee (Girls Trip), again steals many of her scenes with ferocious energy, playing a no-nonsense authority figure with a soft side. She and Hart each manage some scattered big laughs with their verbal sparring, despite the mediocre material.

For the first major feature for his upstart production company, Hart probably needs to set the bar higher than aspiring to be the next Billy Madison. After all, Night School isn’t a total failure, but hardly earns a passing grade, either.

Rated PG-13, 111 minutes.