The success of this high-concept comedy really depends on one’s tolerance for rising star Kevin Hart and setting sun Will Ferrell. As convicted rich guy James King, Ferrell gets to play a nicer brand of egomaniac. Convicted of embezzlement, James enlists the only black guy he doesn’t fear, Darnell (Hart), to train him to survive San Quentin, because he mistakenly believes the khaki-wearing carwash owner has been in jail. Instead, Darnell seeks advice from his ex-con cousin, Russell (T.I.).
Get Hard smartly keeps its sketchy sequences moving, and the lead duo play nicely off one another. They emit a definite ’80s buddy vibe. The climax-on-a-boat has a Fletch-y vibe, though the funny flick holds no surprises. One knows the real bad guy as soon as the opening cast list scrolls by. Tropic Thunder scribe Etan Cohen survives his directorial debut with barely a scratch, though as a cowriter, alongside Jay Martel and Ian Roberts (Ferrell regular Adam McKay gets a story co-credit), he could have dropped a few of the prison-rape jokes and found more stuff for the funny ladies to do. Alison Brie is absolutely wasted as King’s former fiancée. Get Hard’s 100 minutes are a pretty light sentence, compared to other high-profile “comedies.”
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