About Last Night... (1986)

Director Edward Zwick's R-rated romantic comedy-drama (his directorial debut film) was based on David Mamet's 1974 play "Sexual Perversity in Chicago." It starred two celebrated members of Hollywood's 'Brat Pack' at the time, Demi Moore and Rob Lowe. [Note: They were two of Hollywood's infamous 'Brat Pack' who had starred together as Billy and Jules in the earlier pre-Generation X 1980s flick, director Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire (1985).]

The perceptive relationship drama was set in the summer of 1980; the story told about the hot relationship between two Windy City twenty-somethings in a singles-crazed world; it was noted for its frank and often vulgar sexual dialogue, four musical montages, a pop-rock soundtrack, sensual love scenes, and the emotionally-honest ups and downs of sexual politics.

Its lengthy tagline was: "It's about men, women, choices, sex, ambition, moving in, no sex, risk, underwear, friendship, career moves, strategy, commitment, love, fun, breaking up, making up, bedtime, last night..."

• in the lengthy opening sequence (with the characters appearing on-screen and then alternating with voice-over dialogue over blue-on-black title credits), slobbish, sexist, vulgar, loud-mouthed and self-assured pal Bernie Litko (James Belushi) and co-worker pal Danny Martin (Rob Lowe) were walking around various locales in Chicago; Bernie described himself as: "The swarthy type. A man's man. The kind of guy who oozes testosterone"
• in the funniest segment of the film, the film's highlight, Bernie told his enthralled friend about his previous night's outrageous, kinky and wild sexual adventure, involving, among other things:
  
  • - he bought a pack of Viceroy cigarettes for a 20 (or 19) year-old "broad" at a pancake house
  • - she may or may not have been a 'pro'
  • - she decided they should both go to her room so she could pay him back
  • - she invited him to take a shower with her (and then "f--k")
  • - enthralled by her tits, ass, and legs, he delivered a welcomed towel flick on her ass (producing a red mark and a squeal) and she proceeded to put on a World War II flak suit (from a suitcase under the bed)
  • - as they were making love on her bed, while he cried out "Boom" every 30 seconds and a tape recorder played "airplane noises" (rat-a-tat-tat), she then set herself on fire with a Zippo lighter after dousing herself with gasoline during an aerial bomber reenactment, screaming: "Give it to me now, for the love of Christ!"
  • - firemen arrived from the Chicago Fire Department
• See entire dialogue here
• the film's two soon-to-be-lovers flirtatiously met at a softball game, and then at Mother Malone's bar on Chicago's Gold Coast
  • Deborah or "Debbie" Sullivan (Demi Moore - an up-and-coming young star, pre-implants), a 24 year-old advertisement agency art director, sensual and with a deep voice
  • Danny Martin, a 24 year-old grocery wholesaler who sold restaurant supplies, and whose dream was to own a restaurant
• the two entered into a torrid relationship that began with a passionate one-night stand after becoming briefly acquainted at the bar after the ball game; he invited her to his place to listen to his new stereo, to kiss, and then to have sex (off-screen)' she left in the middle of the night after excusing herself: "It's been a slice of heaven, I just have to go home. It's a habit of mine";
• Debbie admitted to her single roommate Joan Gunther (Elizabeth Perkins in her film debut) when she arrived back at her own place that she felt an intense physical attraction to Danny: "I crawled away in shame...I can't believe that I slept with him on the first date!... I couldn't help myself, because he is so gorgeous"
• Debbie vowed to herself never to repeat the experience, and called up Danny the next morning at work to facetiously apologize: "Listen, I was pretty drunk last night. Did anything happen?...It was a fluke. Last night was a fluke."
• meanwhile, in the film's messy love triangle arrangement, Debbie was also involved in an affair with her sleazy boss Steve Carlson (Robin Thomas) - against Joan's wishes: "It's really stupid to f--k your boss"; Debbie put off Steve's invite: "Are you busy for lunch? How about a nice long one at my apartment?"
• however, Debbie couldn't resist meeting up with Danny again at Mother's that night; this second time in two days, she returned with him to his place for another round of sex; she coyly and jokingly admitted that she had experienced an orgasm: "Couldn't you tell?...We figure we'll just keep you in the dark and that way maybe you'll work a little harder....It's a conspiracy"; she decided to spend the entire night with him; Sheena Easton's "So Far, So Good" played under the film's first montage of the development of their relationship the next full day (a Cubs ball-game, walking hand in hand, lunches, etc.) when both of them didn't show up for work (and later caught flack), and ignored their friends
• however, the two often confided and spoke honestly with their best friends, who were prone to sabotage their fragile relationship with negative attitudes (and the film's 'comic relief'); Danny spoke about Debbie with Bernie Litko, while Debbie spoke about Danny with Joan Gunther, a kindergarten teacher and her quick-tongued roommate, awkward, embittered, uptight and shrewish; Debbie claimed she had a talent for "unsolicited attacks"; eventually it was revealed that Joan was having an ongoing affair with a married man named Gary (Robert Neches)
• Debbie did sleep one more time with Steve in the midst of her growing infatuation with Danny, but decided on her own that her affair with Steve was finished now that she was permanently seeing Danny: "I don't think I can see you anymore...I think you're terrific. It's, it's just that, well, I'm-I'm seeing someone else...It was kind of sleazy. And now, it's kind of over"
• when Debbie again met up with Danny (after not seeing him for a few days), she didn't want to appear too eager: ("Dan, I may be easy, but I'm not stupid"), but he charmed her and soon they were ripping off each other's clothes; they made love together (the first on-screen explicit sex between them) - clenched together and seated in a bathtub as the shower water drenched them from above, as she told him: "You're so good...you're the best...I love making love with you too"; soon after, on the train, Bernie asked Danny: "Does she give head?...Does she give head to you?" but Danny refused to answer
• the relationship between Danny and Debbie became more intense as they saw more of each other. And after two months, Danny asked if she could move in with him: ("I think maybe you ought to have a drawer over here"). It was a "pretty big step," but they both decided to proceed, although Joan's first reaction was one of hurt and abandonment, and she predicted it wouldn't work out: ("I give you two months"). A second musical montage, to the tune of Sheena Easton's "Natural Love" accompanied Debbie's move.
• almost immediately, they realized the monumental upheaval in their lives: ("We talked about this once for what, 10 minutes in bed?...This changes everything"), and how they would have difficulty balancing their personal lives with their shared lives; Danny summarized: "Look, you're gonna have your life and your friends. I'm gonna have mine," but then they made up and agreed to work things out realistically and to deal with their new commitment: (Danny: "This is our place. You're not an overnight guest anymore")
• both of them became very distracted at work and their job performances suffered; during their first days, they had difficulty openly sharing their personal problems and career issues, and were often incompatible in their tastes, attitudes, and opinions; Debbie became very uneasy with the initial arrangement - and asserted that she wanted more of a shared life: "It's wrong that I don't know you very well....Everything is wrong...I don't want to be your roommate anymore....I wanna be a couple...I just want to know you better"
• a third musical montage played as they struggled together, to the tune of Bob Seger's "Living Inside My Heart" - and then made love - the film's most explicit sexual sequence between them; afterwards, they walked down their hallway naked, opened the refrigerator door and kissed. Danny admired her in the light, called her "so beautiful," while Debbie professed her love for him

Love-Making During Third Musical Montage

• however, the two immature 20-something young adults often argued, frequently fought, and failed to really connect as both friends and lovers after their initial passion, although there were moments of true tenderness. They ignored talking about marriage or even future plans: ("We just don't talk about things"). He was relieved that her pregnancy test was negative, although she was slightly upset about his reaction. Bernie noticed that Danny was no longer happy-go-lucky: ("You're as much fun as a stick") and wondered if his home life was the cause: ("Is she pushing you to get out?"); Debbie also expressed her dissatisfaction to Joan about settling down with Danny: "It's official. I've become my mother....I feel like we're a couple of kids playing house"
• at Debbie's office Christmas holiday party, Danny became jealous of her association with Steve, and their estrangement was even further accentuated. And then at a New Years' Eve party at Mother's, things became even more divided between them. Ultimately after five months, there was the inevitable breakup when they confronted each other back in their apartment. Danny proposed: "I think one of us should move out....I'm sorry that it didn't work out." She sarcastically responded: "What, two people committed to screwing until they get sick of each other? That's so great. That's really special." He elaborated with a hurtful denial of their time together: "Look, I don't want marriage. I don't want kids. I don't want to be tied down. I'm not happy. I don't love you anymore."
• Debbie agreed to split from him - and pack her bags to leave for good: "I'm gone. It's done. And you can go back to doing whatever you want to do, with whoever you want to do it, and whatever orifice you want to do it in."
• after both played the field, they found only disappointment and dissatisfaction with dating and were unable to forget each other; Danny realized he had made a mistake and told Bernie: "She was the best thing that ever happened to me!...I loved her!...I still love her." He phoned Debbie and confessed how miserable he was: "These last couple weeks have been miserable. I can't stand going out. I can't stand being at home because it reminds me of you. I can't work. Everything is falling apart, because I miss you. I need to see you again" - but she refused to give him a second chance since she had moved on
• when the two eventually met on St. Patrick's Day, Debbie explained how their sex life was great, but that he rarely told her that he loved her: "Five months we were together, and you couldn't say it!...We had nothing. We had good sex"; she denounced him for his selfishness, narrow-mindedness, and spoiled nature: "You don't know what love is. You've gotten everything you have always wanted, and now you're feeling sorry for yourself because there's something you want and you can't have it. But you had it! I gave you love. But you asked me to leave and I left....Get on with your life. It's over."
• the film's fourth and final musical montage played, to the tune of Michael Henderson singing "'Til You Love Somebody"; as the film came to its conclusion, after Danny quit his job and bought his dream diner ("City Diner"), Debbie and Danny apologized to each other at the ballpark for their mutual roles in ruining their relationship, by being too naive and expecting too much at first

Debbie to Danny: "You don't know what love is"

Reconciliation - in Their Future?

• there was the possibility of their reconciling over dinner in his new "old joint" diner, when Danny left the ball-game prematurely and chased after Debbie as she rode off on her bike