Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain (2011)

Number Rolled: 35

Movie Name/Year: Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain (2011)

Tagline: Alright! Alright! Alright!

Genre: Stand Up Comedy

Length: 88 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Codeblack Entertainment, Comedy Central Films, Hartbeat Productions, Usual Suspects Productions

Producer: Jeff Atlas, Valarie Benning Barney, Dave Becky, Jeff Clanagan, Tamra Goins, Michael Goldfine, Kevin Hart, Blake Morrison, Quincy Newell, Ritchie G. Piert Sr., Pookey Wigington

Director: Leslie Small, Tim Story

Writer: Kevin Hart, Na’im Lynn, Joey Wells

Actors: Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Will Horton, Harry Ratchford, Na’im Lynn, Dwayne L. Brown, Nathan L. Smith, Joey Wells, Larry King, Robert K. Hart

Blurb from Netflix: Sometimes edgy and always hilarious, comedian Kevin Hart shines in this theatrical version of his record-breaking 2011 live tour.

Selina’s Point of View:

When I first started watching this film I was very confused.

I’ve seen the Laugh at My Pain special on TV before, and it was always just straight stand-up comedy. When this movie started, however, it was more like a documentary than anything else. I began to wonder if it was mislabeled or something, which pissed me off. I was wrong, though. The movie version of this particular Kevin Hart (Top Five, Get Hard, Ride Along) special simply has some bonus parts. A bit of a documentary in the beginning followed by a skit at the end and an interview during the credits.

I love the Laugh at My Pain special and I think Kevin Hart is hilarious in general. However, I don’t particularly enjoy documentaries usually, and this really wasn’t an exception. I would have preferred just the stand-up and the interview during the credits. I wasn’t fond of the skit either.

Maybe if I’d been expecting the documentary portion, I could have prepared myself for it… but it was like taking a sip of your drink and expecting tea but getting coffee. It might be perfectly fine coffee, but there’s no coffee in the world that’s good tea.

Regardless of the downfalls, I’d re-watch this special any day of the week.

Cat’s Point of View:

I love the juxtaposition of a comedy show against classical literature (our last review). There’s something funny about that random result already before even watching the movie.

Though, that doesn’t have anything to do with the show, itself, so I’ll get back to topic before I babble too far.

I like Kevin Hart (This is the End, About Last Night, Central Intelligence). He has a good sense of comedic timing, and his self-depreciating humor doesn’t go so far that it becomes awkward. He comes off as a guy that would be fun to hang around with – if only just to hear what came out of his mouth off the cuff in every-day situations.

This wasn’t your typical stand-up show where the comedian just presents a recorded stage performance from one of their tour gigs. It goes even one step beyond the ‘behind the scenes’ dressing-room and stage-side interviews and introspective.

This does actually play out a bit as an actual movie where Kevin Hart ‘goes home.’ He brings you along for a look at Philadelphia through his eyes – and with a comedic lens. It feels more like a documentary rather than any sort of dramatic production. He throws a little of that in, too – so you could say that there’s a bit of something for everyone included.

Of course, everyone that the MPAA applies to, that is. The rating of R is spot on, here. That being said, there wasn’t anything egregiously explicit. I really enjoyed his running theme, and I am afraid I might actually find myself spouting random quotes in the near future.

I didn’t get the ‘ending’ but I can’t really explain why without spoiling. SO! Have a look and see what you think!

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 71%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 84%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 3.5/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 2.5/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4/5

P.S. Interview during the credits. Starts with a documentary portion.

Movie Trailer: