Kevin Hart: What Now? (2016)

Number Rolled: 10

Movie Name/Year: Kevin Hart: What Now? (2016)

Tagline: None

Genre: Documentary, Comedy

Length: 96 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Hartbeat Productions, Universal Pictures

Producer: Dave Becky, Dwayne L. Brown, Nichole Celistan, Jeff Clanagan, Kevin Hart, Blake Morrison, Dana Riddick, Valerie Bleth Sharp, Pookey Wigington, Candice Wilson

Director: Leslie Small, Tim Story

Writer: Kevin Hart, Joey Wells, Harry Ratchford, Brian Buccellato

Actors: Kevin Hart, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Ed Helms, David Meunier, Joey Wells

Stunt Doubles: Ben Jenkin, Bethany Levy, Jalil Jay Lynch, Samuel J. Paul

Blurb from Netflix: Frenetic comic Kevin Hart hits Philadelphia and dishes on suburban wildlife, jean shorts and the fine art of getting even with a 7-year-old.

Selina’s Point of View:

I love, love, LOVE me some Kevin Hart (The Upside, Top Five, Central intelligence).

When I turn on a Kevin Hart special, I expect nothing less than awesome hilarity. That’s a good thing, because I never get any less than that. I always laugh, I’m always amused, and it’s always either relatable or so unrelatable that it’s even better.

Although I love comedy that borders on the political aspects of the world, like what you get from Lewis Black or George Carlin, Kevin Hart offers that bit of ridiculousness that lets you forget the big issues for a little while. We all need a break sometimes… and he’s always good for it.

There was a high-quality skit before the stand-up, it continued after the show was over. I think it was kind of unnecessary, but it wasn’t without merit. Just a little something extra for people who didn’t get to see the show live, I guess. I enjoyed it, but it might not be for everyone.

Where the stand-up is concerned, though, Hart was on point.

At one point he mentioned being creeped out by raccoons. I couldn’t laugh too hard at that, because I have my own animal kingdom creep-out issue. I hate kangaroos. I don’t find them cute. I’m fucking terrified of them. They’re like aliens, with their creepy limb-like tails and strange muscle-y nature. Ugh.

Cat’s Point of View:

I can’t tell you how excited I was when we landed on this comedy special as this mid-week review. I really enjoyed the last Kevin Hart (9mm, Get Hard, The Secret Life of Pets) show we watched, and I enjoy him in movies so, I figured this was going to be a shoe-in for a good time.

Hilarity ensued.

Upfront, I’ve got to say that I’m glad I didn’t try to watch this while my daughter was around. This special has some decidedly adult content in it – though, that’s not anything shocking or unheard of for a stand-up show. I remember not being allowed to watch Comedy Central, even when we didn’t have cable. My mom was just covering all the bases.

In any case, this was quite a different experience from the last Kevin Hart special we reviewed. I enjoyed the cinematic opening to the show. It paid homage to several movies while at the same time setting the proverbial stage for what was to come with some funny moments including cameo guests.

When it got to his Philadelphia show in the sold-out football stadium, things focused down to just Hart on stage doing what he does best – making fun of himself a lot. Of course, there was more to his act than just poking fun at himself. 

Some of it walked right at the edge of taste but he pulled it off so that it wasn’t awkward at all. Some of his material didn’t put him in a very good light – but you can bet I was still laughing. I just couldn’t help it. It was funny.

We’re talking topics that REALLY shouldn’t be joked about – and yet he did, and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t hilarious. I’m just saying.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this comedy special to anyone that enjoys this skilled comedian – and hey the action elements involved were actually pretty well done.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 77%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 58%

Metascore - 60/100

Metacritic User Score – 4.7/10

IMDB Score – 5.8/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5

Movie Trailer: