Get Hard – 2/5 – Movie Reviews by Ry!
Get Hard – 2/5 – Comedies are (as I’ve said before) the most subjective genre in the film industry. Where consensus can be found within all genres between critics and fans alike; there is harder barometer to hit that ‘sweet spot’ with comedies. With that being said, we come to this film. Just to keep it simple; Get Hard is a film that has few hilarious moments, but falls flat because of stereotypes and constant repetition. In the end, this is a film that might seem fun, but generally will be met with the lukewarm praise.
Premise: A millionaire (James King) has been nailed with fraud and is bound for prison in 30 days. To get ready, he enlists a ‘supposed’ convict (Darnell Lewis) to prep him. Will he be ready, or will truths come out from this preparation.
The stars of this film are some big comedic icons in the film industry today. You have:
Will Ferrell as James King
Kevin Hart as Darnell Lewis
Will Ferrell plays a rich business man who is being sent to prison for fraud. Kevin Hart plays a business man of a car wash company who is trying hard to get the best for his family. The fun begins (sort of) when these two meet each other. When they do, each of these individuals plays their typical shtick within this story. Ferrell creates a ‘pseudo’ parody guy of a white businessman; as Hart plays the slick but slightly loud man. These two don’t stray too far from these archetypes, but at the same time, it is what keeps you watching this film. Even with the rest of the film falling flat; the ‘back and forth’ banter between Ferrell and Hart is hilarious and engaging. The contrasting of their comedic styles keeps the ‘adlib’ vs. ‘slapstick’ fresh and welcoming. The one good thing about this film is rated ‘R’; it allows them free reign, which creates that freshness to the jokes. With the rest of the cast; they fall into the typical stereotypes you find in this kind of comedy. To be way to obvious is one thing; but when you ‘scream’ the stereotypes without a sense of satire or charm creates something where it’s straight up offensive and not ‘offensively funny’.
I am going to go straight to the point, there is a real lack of direction and any form of real comedic creativity within this film. You get the following for this kind of comedy:
1.) Generic setup of ‘two lives crossing path’ because of ‘uncontrollable consequences’
2.) Set of typical comedic scenes that lead to some raveling of ‘plot revelations’
3.) A mixture of comedic climax with ‘truths’; predictable epilogues to give ‘worth’ to the setups and ‘happy’ conclusions.
The film is lethargic and fragmented. Between the bad pacing and hollow tone, the obvious issues are in regards to the comedic elements. They beat you over the head with certain jokes, that the repetition reveals the glaring stereotypes and offensiveness without any real wit. This cause there to be unfunny moments, with long stretches of dull situations coupled with the few ‘hilarious’ scenes that we have between Will Ferrell and Kevin Harts characters. The notion of this film is that the ‘star power’ of each guy will make you not realize the flaws. The star power helps the film stay bearable; but never gives it that quality of ‘funny’ that even the most average comedies do. The film is blatant in its predictability, one dimensional in its characters and uncaring when it comes to the formulaic jokes it uses in repeated fashion. In the end, you feel more shame for those involved because you know they can be funnier than the adolescent script they have here.
I am not even going to be descriptive with cinematography or score. These two film elements have no real effect in the film.
Get Hard could have been part of the collection of great/good comedies; but falls in the barrel of those that just show the lazy form of being ‘funny’. If you’re a fan of Will Ferrell or Kevin Hart, you might find something here; but I would only watch at a matinee. I would leave this at a rental at best.