The movie begins in Chicago with two 20-something friends and colleagues, Dan Martin and Bernie Litko, discussing their outlandish sexual escapades. Later on, Bernie and Dan's recreational softball team, sponsored by local bar “Mother’s,” plays against a local advertising agency and wins. Attending this game with her girlfriends is Debbie Sullivan, who works at the advertising company and is sleeping with her boss, Steve. Debbie catches Dan's eye and the two flirt at a beer keg. Debbie and her friends, Joan and Pat, decide to attend the game's afterparty at Mother's, where Debbie again runs into Dan, with whom Pat attempts to flirt and Joan takes an immediate dislike to. They wind up back at Dan's apartment and sleep together, after which Debbie hastily leaves. The next day, Dan calls Debbie at work “about last night,” and asks her out on a second date, to which she accepts. After their date, they again wind up in bed together and spend the following day exploring the city, where Dan reveals to Debbie that his dream is to quit his job at a restaurant supply company and open his own restaurant. They begin to date more seriously and decide to move in together, much to the chagrin of Joan and Bernie, who dislike each other as well. Because neither of the two have ever been in a serious relationship before, they attempt to navigate cohabitation without much support from their friends. They experience much throughout their relationship: Dan being contacted by a former lover who is married with children, Debbie's boss Steve having difficulty accepting the end of their affair, Joan softening when she begins dating her new boyfriend Gary, Bernie perpetually informing Dan that their beautiful colleague, Carmen, has shown an interest in Dan, and Dan having difficulties with his boss, who wants him to stop providing supplies to Gus, a client with whom Dan is friends yet is unable to pay his debts because his restaurant, Swallow, is run-down. Despite having told each other the “L Word,” Debbie and Dan's relationship becomes strained, and reaches a boiling point at a New Year's Eve party at Mother's, where Debbie witnesses a drunken Pat making advances towards Dan, and Joan discovers her boyfriend is married and returning to his wife. Joan tearfully asks Debbie to take her home, to which she agrees, despite Dan's angry objections. Upon Debbie's return home, Dan ends their relationship, and she moves out of their apartment and back in with Joan. Despite getting back on the dating scene quickly, Dan begins to regret his decision regarding Debbie, and unsuccessfully attempts to win her back at a St. Patrick's Day celebration at Mother's. Hoping to move on with his life, Dan partners with Gus to revitalize Swallow into an old-school diner, achieving his dream. The following summer at another softball game, Dan and Bernie see Debbie riding her bike through the park with Joan, who convinces her to go and talk to Dan. She approaches him and they both express regret at how their relationship turned out. As Debbie begins to turn away, Dan asks her out again and suggests they go to a great new place, but she suggests with a smile that they just go to “some old joint,” signifying that she is aware of his new restaurant. As she rides away on her bike, Bernie convinces Dan to run after her, and the camera pans out to see Dan and Debbie walking through the park, hinting at their renewed relationship.
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.
