‘Get Hard’
Grade: D+
Running through the late night circuit to promote “Get Hard,” Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart were murderers, killing their audiences with laughter.
From Ferrell’s absurd Little Debbie shtick on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” to Kevin Hart’s fake behind-the-scenes details on “The Daily Show,” the two were an unstoppable force.
Unfortunately, they were promoting an immovable object, “Get Hard,” which could be mistaken for a drama with its absence of comedy.
Following in the footsteps of “Trading Places” or even the more recent “Tower Heist,” “Get Hard” is a film trying to analyze the differences between the upper and lower class. Unfortunately, the stereotypes are so generic and bland that I doubt it took more than 10 minutes to finish the whole script.
Ferrell’s character, James, is a multi-millionaire stock investor who has the perfect life, wife and house. Hart’s character, Darnell, is a down-on-his-luck car washer who’s just trying to make enough money to move his family out of an impoverished neighborhood.
When James is wrongfully accused of stock fraud and sentenced to jail for 10 years, it’s up to Darnell to prepare him for this ordeal.
Unlike “Trading Places,” which smartly analyzed the cultural differences in a revenge story, most of “Get Hard” is just about James fretting about being raped in prison.
But don’t worry — the film manages to portray everyone in a negative light. The rich lie and steal, the poor are out to get the wealthy, women are just objects and all black people are drug dealers or gang members.
Then, in the last act, when you’re just hoping the movie ends soon so you can see the sun again, it becomes the newest edition of the “Fast and Furious” franchise as the two main characters end up fighting on a yacht in slow-motion action sequences.
It’s a shame how poorly the movie turned out because there is surely talent to be found. Ferrell and Hart are two of the biggest names in comedy, Craig T. Nelson is a respected veteran actor and Alison Brie is a fantastic actor, as evidenced by “Community” and “Mad Men.”
Lacking an original script, plotline or novel characters, “Get Hard” is the must-not-see comedy of the year. Hopefully, Ferrell and Hart can do another round of late-night appearances in reconciliation for this recent failure.
