WASHINGTON — If anyone still doubts the comedic talents of Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, “Get Hard” is your answer: Both men are incredibly gifted.
But if anyone doubts their occasional habit of choosing bad material, “Get Hard” is also your answer.
Here, Ferrell plays oblivious Los Angeles millionaire James King, who is wrongfully convicted of fraud and sentenced to 10 years at San Quentin. Fearing for his safety, he turns to his favorite car-wash guy, Darnell Lewis (Hart), who offers to toughen him up before his prison stint.
If that sounds like an amusing series of “SNL” sketches, but not enough for an entire movie, you’d be right. Perhaps we’re reminded too much of “SNL” alum Rob Schneider’s “Big Stan” (2007). Or perhaps debut director Etan Cohen, co-writer of “Tropic Thunder” (2008) and “Men in Black 3” (2012), wants to let Ferrell and Hart do what they do best — situational comedy.
In these isolated moments, Ferrell and Hart are actually quite funny on a scene-by-scene basis. Ferrell plays his white-privilege naivete to comedic effect, reading a list of putdowns he has prepared for the prison yard in a hilarious collection of Ferrell randomness that only he can pull off.
Meanwhile, Hart grows increasingly frustrated at Ferrell’s class-based assumptions. Dressed as Lil Wayne, Ferrell insists, “I’m not trying to appropriate your culture,” to which Hart deadpans, “That’s great. I’ll tell the others.” In moments like this, the film borders on becoming a brilliant satire.
Unfortunately, these individual gags are trapped within a bad premise, which boils down to — wait for it — not wanting to get raped in prison.
Your reaction to this will depend solely on your Political Correctness Meter.
Many times, the film succumbs to the same racial stereotypes and homophobic fears it hopes to satirize. At one point, Ferrell and Hart seek protection from a group of white-supremacist skinheads, only to shift strategies and align with an inner-city Crenshaw gang filled with 40-drinking black stereotypes (to the film’s credit, it cleverly calls out its own “Boyz in the Hood” references).
Another scene revolves entirely around Ferrell and Hart’s discomfort at an L.A. gay restaurant, as Hart gets hit on by an eager patron, while Ferrell takes to the bathroom to learn the art of fellatio.
Yes, this is satire, and a certain amount of envelope-pushing is to be expected. Far too often, stuffy critics climb on their soapboxes to righteously oppose perceived offensiveness. But in this case, the soapbox is warranted because of the relentless number of “don’t drop the soap” jokes.
All of this may have been cool in the 1980s, when “Trading Places” (1983) mocked class divides and “Full Metal Jacket” (1987) spit “steers and queers” jokes. But as we moved on into the “Philadelphia” 1990s, these jokes became decidedly less funny, especially when “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) offered new perspective on the subject of prison rape:
RED: I’ve heard the Sisters have taken quite a liking to you—especially Bogs.
ANDY: Does it help to tell them that I’m not homosexual?
RED: Neither are they. You have to be human first. They don’t qualify.
Two decades later, it’s hard to laugh when “Get Hard” repeatedly goes to this well. OK; we get it. Prison rape. Ha. What else do you got? It seems not much else, as the movie builds toward an overdone finale involving Ferrell’s girlfriend (Alison Brie) and father-in-law (Craig T. Nelson). In a world of clever comedies with a firm grasp on comedy, “Get Hard” is disappointingly soft.
★ ★
The above rating is based on a 4-star scale. See where this film ranks in our Fraley Film Guide. Follow WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley on Twitter @JFrayWTOP.
