Night School 2018

As the calendar flips from 2001 to 2018, Teddy Walker’s trajectory takes a dramatic turn. Once a self-absorbed bully and popular jerk, Teddy drops out of high school after failing to concentrate during a crucial test, his arrogance and lack of academic discipline finally catching up with him. Years later, he has reinvented himself as a successful barbecue grill salesman, dating a wealthy woman named Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke) while meticulously maintaining the facade that he is better off than he actually is.

However, Teddy’s carefully constructed life begins to unravel when he discovers he will inherit control of the store upon the current manager’s retirement. As he proposes to Lisa in the shop, a champagne cork accidentally triggers an explosion that not only destroys his chances of inheriting the store but also leaves him jobless and reeling.

Teddy turns to his old friend Marvin (Ben Schwartz) for help, learning that he might be able to land a job at Marvin’s financial investment firm, but only if he can obtain a GED. Desperate to salvage his situation, Teddy attempts to charm the new principal, Stewart (Taran Killam), into granting him the necessary qualification, but this plan is doomed from the start given their tumultuous history.

Undeterred, Teddy makes alternative arrangements to attend night school that semester, taught by the unconventional Carrie (Tiffany Haddish). Despite his best efforts, however, he still struggles with concentration issues that have plagued him since high school. Meanwhile, he continues to deceive Lisa, claiming he has already landed a job working for Marvin while secretly taking on a second job at a local fast-food restaurant to make ends meet.

As Teddy navigates this new chapter of his life, he finds himself in a class filled with an eclectic mix of students, including Theresa (Mary Lynn Rajskub), a hardworking mom juggling multiple responsibilities; Mila (Anne Winters), a deadpan hipster from a wealthy family forced to earn her GED by her parents; Mackenzie (Rob Riggle) and Jaylen (Romany Malco).

As the weight of reality sets in for his peers, Teddy devises a plan to pilfer the test answers, convincing his classmates to join him in this act of desperation. However, when Carrie discovers the truth, Teddy takes the fall, sacrificing his night school privileges to protect his friends. It’s only after he returns, humbled and contrite, that Carrie agrees to let him back into night school on one condition: he must undergo testing to uncover the root causes of his struggles. And so, it’s revealed that Teddy is not simply a wayward student, but rather an individual with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other processing difficulties that have been hindering his learning.

With this newfound understanding, Carrie is able to devise innovative strategies to help Teddy thrive in night school, and he soon finds himself forming genuine bonds with his classmates. As their final class approaches – coinciding with the senior prom – Teddy proposes a bold idea: why not let the night school students attend the prom themselves? However, this plan is quickly derailed when Lisa confronts Teddy about Stewart’s true intentions for bringing her to school that night. Hurt and betrayed, Lisa ends things with Teddy, prompting him to abandon his GED pursuit in despair.

But Carrie and Stewart soon intervene, the latter offering a heartfelt apology for his underhanded tactics. Carrie convinces Teddy to give the GED another try, and although he initially falls short, he perseveres, ultimately completing the test after four more attempts. At graduation, Teddy delivers a powerful speech on behalf of his night school peers, celebrating the possibility of second chances. Witnessed by Lisa herself, this moment marks a turning point in their relationship.

In a poignant postscript, Teddy apologizes to Lisa for his earlier deception and re-introduces himself with an olive branch – or rather, an offer for her to pay for a change. As they walk off into the sunset, it’s clear that Teddy has finally found a way to balance his past mistakes with his present aspirations, emerging stronger and wiser as a result.