Get Hard Reviews

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this flick but, somehow, I stil ended up watching the damned thing though. Basically, it turned out to be some kind of awkward and misguided riff on 'Trading Places' and, even if it wasn't really awful, it was still pretty weak though. It also reminded me of Adam Sandler's work (which is definitely not a compliment) with this main character acting seriously offensive and discriminative all the time but, at the end, it turned out after all that he actually had a heart of gold which was supposed to make his previous appalling behaviour somehow suddenly acceptable. Concerning the humor, I really believe that Will Ferrel and Kevin Hart both can be really funny though. However, there was not much they could do with this material. Indeed, one of them was basically playing a really stupid white man and the other one was playing a slightly less stupid black man and, again, as displayed many times by Adam Sandler during his career, stupid characters are almost always more annoying than actually entertaining. Was there any possibility that this terrible concept could have actually worked anyway? It's difficult to tell. I mean, by getting a whole bunch of menacing tattoos and taking some actual real self-defence courses, maybe? It was also rather pathetic how, during the very last few days, they eventually took a massive U-turn and decided they would after all solve this case which they obviously did way too easily. Seriously, it made everything that happened before even more pointless than it already was. Anyway, to conclude, it seemed to be doomed right from the start and maybe we should be thankful that it didn't turn out to be even worse but it is pretty obvious that you should avoid the damned thing though. 

"This ain't no longer your house, man! We in San Quentin now!"

A lot of criticisms have been levelled against 2015’s Get Hard, with most critics and audiences calling it offensive and dumb. However, despite its clichéd, slipshod plotting and a lack of truly witty writing, it is arguably entertaining if you enjoy this type of crass, un-PC humour, though it must be stressed that it’s not a movie for everybody. This is a pitch-black, vehemently R-rated comedy, with improvisation, overacting and profanities aplenty in place of clever comedy. And while the resultant feature has its moments, it is rather disappointing considering the talent here.

An LA-based investment fund manager, James King (Will Ferrell) is living the dream, blessed with a gorgeous fiancée, Alissa (Allison Brie), and a large, luxurious home that’s tended to by groundskeepers and maids. Soon after being made partner in his firm by Alissa’s father, Martin (Craig T. Nelson), James is arrested for fraud and sentenced to ten years in San Quentin. Trying to maintain his innocence, James is given thirty days to sort out his affairs before serving time. James dreads the prospect of prison life, ultimately calling upon a car washer named Darnell (Kevin Hart) for help. Even though the squeaky-clean Darnell has never been in the slammer, James assumes that he has a cell block record simply because he’s black. Realising that he has the chance to make some easy cash, Darnell goes along with it, pretending to be an ex-con and creating a prison survival boot camp to toughen James up.

Like most comedies of this ilk, Get Hard is essentially a string of comedic vignettes with a very tenuous through-line to justify the madness. It’s somewhat surprising that Etan Cohen directed the picture since he also scripted Tropic Thunder and Idiocracy, both of which possessed some degree of intelligence, providing clever satire to supplement and enhance the laughs. Get Hard, on the other hand, is purely superficial, and you’ll struggle to find any meaty satire or satirical subtext amid all the rape jokes and crude dialogue. Perhaps the movie’s biggest issue is the lack of a character arc for James, who’s a stuffy, racist rich guy - and the movie asks us to empathise with him. Additionally, the story’s machinations are so perfunctory and half-hearted, not to mention predictable, that the premise might have been better-served as a series of short comedy skits on YouTube.

With its shoddy script and plotting, Get Hard would have been borderline unwatchable if it was an inoffensive PG-13 comedy. However, the production is given a boost by its R rating, which Ferrell lobbied relentlessly to maintain, allowing for salty language and humour that pushes the boundaries of good taste. Performances all-round are fairly workmanlike, with Ferrell again leaning on his trademark oblivious man-child idiot persona. Ferrell knows his strengths, and he plays to him, with the role never removing the actor from his comfort zone. Then again, nobody really expected anything more. Hart, meanwhile, is pretty much just Kevin Hart.

There is not much more that can be said about Get Hard. Humour is subjective, and if there’s not much to analyse beneath a comedy’s shiny exterior, it doesn’t exactly provide strong fodder for an in-depth treatise. As someone who predominantly likes Will Ferrell and enjoys R-rated comedies, I found myself laughing quite a lot throughout the movie’s 100-minute duration in spite of its inherent flaws and hit-and-miss comedy. Those who enjoy the likes of Step Brothers might enjoy it with beer and pizza, but others are advised to tread lightly.

6.1/10

First of all I don't wanna compare it with any movie like the others did. Many reviews bashing that it was rip-off of 'Big Stan'. Yes kind of similar theme, but there's a lot of difference. The concept was the same and the story happens in an alternate way like 'what if'. That means one takes place outside the prison and the other one in the prison. If you're a movie fanatic, you would enjoy the show other than going after flaws and resemblance.

I had seen many weird combos, and I felt same feeling for this Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, when I first heard about it. Like usual, once I watched the movie seem to be okay. Quite a show and equally good, one of the funniest combinations to entertain. I had a few good laughs and enjoyed the film. I would love to get a sequel for this, because these men coming together are double fun. So it should not be wasted ending with a one-off movie, but at least a duology or maybe a trilogy. Gosh, my crazy thought and expectation!

6.5/10

Initial Thought: I have been avoiding this one for quite some time. I had conflicted feelings on it for awhile. On one hand I absolutely abhor Will Ferrell acting. On the other hand I find Kevin Hart absolutely hysterical. Anyways I finally decided to go ahead and give it a try.

Characters/Acting: Well Will Ferrell pretty much starts my patience level extremely low. Kevin Hart steadies it out a bit though. With the likes of Craig T. Nelson, Alison Brie, and one of my favorite rappers T.I. here I'm sure I can be humored as long as there aren't too many scenes that only include Will Ferrell with no one to counter act his ludicrous acting abilities or lack thereof. Kevin Hart is quite hilarious as expected. I hate to admit it, but there were a few moments that Will Ferrell had me laughing as well. The acting was good and I enjoyed nearly all the characters.

Story: A white slightly racist (albeit unaware) millionaire gets a regular hard working American (whom he assumes to be a gangster due to his color) to train him how to act in prison. I'm sure the whole prison scenario will be hilarious though. So it starts off already giving me a headache with Will Ferrell's dreadfully fake crying. Well at least I got the Iggy Azalea Fancy song for a reward after dealing with that blandness. How the hell is Will Ferrell always set up with such beautiful women in these movies? Dear God please help me to understand this insanity. This just got worse with the addition of the constant inclusion of his booty. It has a bit of predictability to it including the "twist". The scenarios are somewhat funny, but I couldn't help thinking they would be funnier with anyone besides Will. That one scene was really uncomfortable and unnecessary. I didn't find it funny, but rather distasteful. Nudity is acceptable and perfectly normal, but I just couldn't get by the way they executed it here. The end was alright.

Directing/Writing: It took three guys to write a story created by another man. One of the writers also directs this. It just so happens to be said man's directorial debut. He has written several really good movies of which include Tropic Thunder, Idiocracy, and Men In Black 3. Adam McKay is pretty much behind anything Will Ferrell is in. So he is pretty much on my shit list. This is the only work from Ian Roberts that I have seen. This is Jay Martel's movie writing debut.

Final Thought: It wasn't a great movie, but it was watchable. I laughed a few good times. I'm just not really a fan of the kind of humor Will Ferrell does most of the time. I'm sure his fans would enjoy the movie. It did do justice for Kevin Hart in my opinion. If you like either or both of them then this movie would probably be something for you to check out.