“Get Hard”: Review
Starring: Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell
Director: Etan Cohen
Length: 100 minutes
I recently saw the new Kevin Hart/Will Ferrell comedy “Get Hard” (and boy, was I disappointed). The plot is about a Hedge fund manager that gets arrested at his engagement party for fraud and embezzlement, and he is going to jail in less than a week. He then hires this miniature African-American employee named Darnell (Kevin Hart) to show him the ropes about prison life for $30,000. The next 80 minutes is a festival of racial stereotypes and homoerotic jokes. I can break down the plot and subplot, the inciting incident, the character arc, and any other screenwriting jargon. But this movie is a train wreck; it’s a hot piping mess with no redeeming qualities.
Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell lacked chemistry, and didn’t have a script to utilize their talents. As a result, Will Ferrell reverted to improvising scenes for cheap laughs, and Kevin Hart started his over-the-top loud diminutive black man with a Napoleon complex shtick. The writers realized that they had A-list Hollywood comedians and no script to work with, so they resort to cliche gay jokes and racial stereotypes (for cheap laughs) the rest of the way through. After the anti-climatic ending, the movie mercifully ends after 100 minutes. If you don’t care about plots, acting or character development, and are a fan of both actors, then check it out (there are some funny moments). I’m a fan of both actors (although I still haven’t quite forgiven Kevin Hart for Soul Plane yet); I think they can make a great movie together with the right script in the future.