“Get Hard” is an example of when bad scripts happen to good people. The concept was simple enough. White guy gets pinned for a white collar crime. White guy gets sent to prison. Before he leaves, he assumes a black guy can help him make it inside. Black guy, needing money, yet possessing no experience of prison, pretends he is “hard” enough to train white guy. It is a classic case of two fish out of the water. With the comedic forces of Well Ferrell and Kevin Hart colliding, I assumed we would be in for one wild ride. I was wrong. Will Ferrell does his best to carry a movie screeching in pain from that car we were driving. You know, the one meant for the wild ride? His brand of physical comedy and unique ability to deliver a punchline cannot carry the weight of Kevin Hart; who seems to be phoning it in or overacting. I had a really difficult time telling. In the end, the story feels long, underdeveloped and lacking the big laughs you would expect. Which is sad, because one more rewrite could have saved us from this prison.
Thanks for entering my world,
-Nathan