Getting real about Gay Panic and Get Hard

Opinion

There is a fair amount of anger floating about from several outlets about the perceived homophobia or “gay panic” in the new Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell comedy, “Get Hard”. First, a bit of background on gay panic from the Lesbian, Gay and Transgender Bar: “Gay and trans “panic” defense tactics ask a jury to find that a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for the defendant’s excessively violent reaction. The perpetrator claims that the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity not only explain – but excuse – their loss of self-control and subsequent assault of an LGBT individual. By fully or partially acquitting the perpetrators of crimes against LGBT victims, these defenses imply that LGBT lives are worth less than others.” It’s serious stuff that absolutely should be taken seriously. To that end, Get Hard should not be lumped into gay panic. That criticism is lazy, unfair and demeans the places where gay panic should be taken seriously – as it was when it was invoked (perhaps coined?) in the Matthew Shepard case.

The first problem I see in most of the critics who have bashed this film for gay panic is in their desire for the film to be something it isn’t nor was it ever intended to be. While the parallels to the classic, hilarious and much more thoughtful comedy “Trading Places” are quite obvious, Get Hard, in its marketing, characters and unabashed blue nature never intends to be that film. By design, it’s silly, raucous and over the top. It does not, at any point, vary from what it is. For those who think it should send a message about privilege and prejudice, you’ve laid your own trap. Yes, those points are there, but they are there on their own terms, within the construct of a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you accept that about the film, most of the criticism melts away on its own.

Other criticisms are just silly, drawing the line that Get Hard exists upon the premise that “the greatest fear any man can face is sex with another man” (no mention of the type of sex)…as if the premise was based on the terror of homosexuality, in totality, as opposed to the abuse imposed in prison rape. I’m reminded of a great moment in my favorite film, “The Shawshank Redemption”: Red (Morgan Freeman) warns Andy (Tim Robbins) that “the sisters” (the rapists) have an eye out for him. Robbins asks: “Would it help if I explained to them I’m not homosexual?” Red replies, “Neither are they. You have to be human first. They don’t qualify.” If you can’t distinguish between the clear lines Get Hard draws between the fear of prison rape and homosexuality, you’ve missed the intent.

The moment that seems to draw the strongest ire of the critics is a scene in which Darnell (Kevin Hart) tells James that since he can’t defend himself properly in prison, he must suck dick. The objections range from Variety’s Justin Chang who writes the true offense is in the “coy, cynical way the scene is framed” to the suggestion of the film being a “Hate Crime” by Bill Gibron of PopMatters.

Regarding one of Chang’s specific objections, it seems to be built upon the way the penis is shown on screen. As he and Gibron note, male genitalia on screen have become the "new" (perceived, by some) funny thing. A few years ago it was foul-mouthed, raunchy women like Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaid or, in television, “Two Broke Girls”. There are several things at play here:

1) The dick joke as a trope is as old as our species. That doesn’t make it right, but it doesn’t make it inherently wrong, either. The joke here lies in the way the dick is used (on screen, for the audience) and in proximity to the character of empathy – right in James’ face and for the purpose of oral sex. Ferrell used on-screen, visual dick jokes liberally in his hilarious one-man show, “You’re Welcome, America.” The shock value was there and exploited it, as sharp comics do. Same with Get Hard Director Etan Cohen here. 

2) Comedy, beyond being subjective, is tension and release. So is sex. This is why they’re often great partners. The problem lies in release with no tension. If you don’t feel the tension of this scene, in empathy for a character feeling he has to do something he feels is repulsive in order to save his life (rightly or wrongly), you won’t think this is funny. For the record, I’m not gay, but I feel being gay is absolutely natural for those who identify that way and, therefore, oral and other kinds of sex between gay men (and women, for that matter) is natural, too. I fully understand many men think oral sex with other men is the opposite of repulsive (not my thing, but I don’t stand in judgment, either) - therefore, they may not find this scene funny (no tension – less they’re choosing to “suspend disbelief” and try to empathize with the fool that is James’ character). And I can see where some individuals might feel picked on by this moment, too. Were it the sole moment of ridicule or thrust of the film (e.g. “gays are bad, gays are scary, no gays!”) I could even go to the next level to consider it as homophobic. But it isn’t. James is the fool. Darnell is desperate to do what he needs to for the sake of his family. The oral sex bit is a foil, not a target. The joke is 100 percent on James.

3) The role of the man (I believe his character name was “Chris”) who hits on Darnell while James is dealing with his quandary has also been called into question because some say he is too aggressive. I’ll say this: I found Chris charming, funny and completely empathized with his being smitten with another person. He finds Darnell attractive. Darnell is flustered, but never rude. This scene has been played thousands of times with straight men hitting on women and not getting the hint. 

As to the other major criticism, that the film is lazy or unoriginal, I counter that it is both lazy, unoriginal and ignorant to say just that. For the uninitiated in creative works, I suggest Kirby Ferguson’s excellent Everything’s a Remix. The bottom line, for me, is that everything is derivative. A fresh spin on things can be provided in many ways, as it is here largely through Ferrell and Hart’s performances. No, it’s not fresh – but that doesn’t make it automatically unfunny or lazy, either. Execution, energy and relationship are all far more important than one’s perceived originality (noting that what appears to be original is, almost always, just the ignorance of the viewer in not recognizing the source material(s) built off of to create the new work).

Get Hard is not an amazing all-time comedy. But it’s not mean-spirited, homophobic or bigoted, either. It is, for the right crowd, a great bit of foul-mouthed laughs made to blow off some steam and see a pair of talented comic forces having fun on the big screen. That’s it.