Get Hard
Director: Etan Cohen
Year: 2015
If you’re offended by pasty white asses, full frontal male
nudity and ridiculous vulgarity, do not bother with Get Hard, the funniest film
I’ve seen in a while. This film declares its intent in the title and its opening
frame, right after James King (played to perfection in a vehicle designed for
Will Ferrell) cries his eyes out – more about that in a moment. Will Ferrell is
a divisive figure. There are people who find him hysterical (I am unabashedly
in that camp) and those who just don’t see what’s so funny. Again, if you’re in
the latter camp, don’t try this film to figure it out. It’s unapologetic Will
being Will from reel to reel.
Life is perfect for white man James King. He’s a one
percenter and about to become elite amongst even that slim group with his
latest promotion to partner in his soon to be father in law’s (Craig T. Nelson)
investment firm. His fiancée, Alissa (Alison Brie) declares that he needs to
have everything, including her body in every white way possible. He has no idea
of the meaning of the silver spoon lodged in his mouth, espousing ridiculous
platitudes about the value of hard work in front of all of those “beneath” him.
On the flip side is Darnell (Kevin Hart). He’s short, black
and broke. He has a lovely wife and an adorable young daughter, who
unfortunately goes to a very dangerous elementary school in South Central L.A.
because Darnell can’t afford the down payment on a house in a better area. It
is this heart that makes Darnell immediately likable and grounds James’ antics.
Darnell owns a mobile car wash for executives inside of
James’ building. His need of James’ money is obvious – and hilariously
rebuffed. When things quickly go south for James and he needs something from
Darnell, the backlash is equally hilarious.
The odd couple setup is obvious and extremely well played, proving, once
again, it’s more important to execute than try too hard to be original. And,
for the record, I’m also in the camp that everything is derivative (see “everything’s a remix” for more), so
when it comes to where to place one’s effort, it should be in For a moment, I saw shades of another
excellent comedy from about thirty years ago, “Trading Places”. Get Hard goes
an entirely different direction and I wouldn’t put it in the same class. But
for front line, punch you in the face, over-the-top comedy Get Hard delivers
the goods.
There are few taboos the film won’t touch – racism,
homophobia, class-ism to name a few. Comedy has the ability to skewer, shed
light upon and potentially even heal some of these ills. No, I’m not saying
this film is on par with Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech, but, for the type
of comedy it is, I was impressed by how well it plays the white/black divide
angle with more nuance, intrigue and, dare I say it, poignancy than I’ve seen
in a while. Homophobia gets a strong and positive tweaking, too, in Darnell’s
developing friendship with a gay man after a howlingly funny training scene at
a local gay hot spot. For how homosexuality is often viewed in large parts of
the popular black culture, it was a big deal to see Darnell having a
legitimate, caring friendship on the screen.
But enough attempts at convincing. It’s a silly, low-brow,
rude comedy by design. To complain about it for being such is like being mad at
crocodile for biting. They don’t hide their teeth – and neither does Get Hard.
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