Review Roundup: Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell Star in New Comedy GET HARD

By: Mar. 27, 2015
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Ever popular comedians Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell star in the new comedy GET HARD, which opens in theaters nationwide today. The film the directorial debut of Etan Cohen, who previously served as a writer for the popular televison serieses BEAVUS AND BUTTHEAD and KING OF THE HILL.

The story follows James King (Ferrell), a successful businessman who is convicted for tax evasion. Wary of the troubles he may face in prison, he enlists his building's car wash man (Hart) to teach him the ropes of surviving in the clink.

GET HARD stars Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell, Alison Brie, and Craig T. Nelson.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

A.O. Scott, New York Times: The highest praise I can give "Get Hard" is that it is not quite as awful as it could have been. Mr. Hart, as usual, is jumpy and silly, maniacally mugging his way through every scene. Mr. Ferrell, as usual, is lumbering and silly, using his big body and his adaptable voice to explore new varieties of embarrassment. Neither is exactly bad, though both have been better doing other things.

Justin Chang, Variety: If you're disturbed by white-collar crime, but not quite as disturbed as you are by gay sex, then congratulations: You might possess just the right combo of social conscience and unexamined homophobia needed to fully enjoy "Get Hard."

Richard Corliss, Time: ...laughter trumps political fairness, and Get Hard made me laugh at, and with, situations I hadn't thought could tickle me. The movie has a warm heart beating under its seemingly scabrous shell.

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Hobbled by a nervous, insecure editing rhythm and a total lack of slapstick finesse, "Get Hard" represents a matchup of form and content that does the people on screen no favors.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Get Hard...commits the cardinal sin of comedy: It lets us see the sweat, the backbreaking effort of trying to breathe life into a farce based on racial and gay stereotyping.

Carole Mallory, Huffington Post: Ferrell's performance is uneven only due to the poor direction and the ho-hum writing in the screenplay though it is based on a clever story. Kevin Hart steals this one. Your price of admission will be justified just to see Hart.

Max Nicholson, IGN: Get Hard might be the stupidest, most immature movie to come out of 2015 thus far, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not funny.

Kofi Outlaw, Screen Rant: While definitely not for the easily offended, the film provides enough laugh-out-loud material and general humor to please fans of either comedian, and/or thick-skinned theatergoing fans looking for a good time.

Mara Reinstein, US Magazine: Think crude R-rated jabs at race, gender, and homosexuality. But while the comedy is an equal opportunity offender, perhaps its most egregious crime is that most of the jokes land with an awkward thud.

Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee: No one goes into a raunchy comedy such as this expecting it to be politically correct. But with good raunchy comedies, funny can outweigh potential offensiveness. For most of its length, "Get Hard" does not reach a level of humor strong enough to obscure its dicier material.


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