Get Hard ★★

    "Get Hard" is a film whose plot desperately relies on the comedic stylings of Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, yet when crafting such a project one vital aspect was forgotten: the material has to actually be funny. Not only are the jokes unnecessarily crude, but they touch on contemporary subjects that are just plain tiresome. How many times can one laugh at a situation infused with racial profiling and stereotyping? Not enough I assume.

    James King, a well-to-do Wall Street investor, is a man who seemingly has everything--a lovely Bel-Air home, a beautiful fiancée, and enough financial freedom to buy anything he desires. Darnell, on the other hand, is the owner of a small car washing business, Hollywood Luxury Bubbles, and is a man whose only goal is to move his wife and daughter to a nice neighborhood, complete with a school system that does not require police protection.

    After King becomes the prime suspect of a major fraud charge, he is given thirty days to collect himself before he is sent off to San Quentin, a prison whose reputation precedes itself. In light of these circumstances, King hires Darnell to prepare him for such an experience. (The reason being, of course, is because Darnell is black, and because we are supposed to find this amusing.) The two agree on a verbal contract and the rest of the picture proceeds to count down the days leading up to King's inevitable incarceration.

    What is most important about the storyline here is the dramatic irony which is begrudgingly used to gain a few extra laughs, much like the entire film itself. (In fact, even the title of "Get Hard" is utilized to discharge a chuckle or two because of its sexual implications, as immature as that may seem.) We know that Darnell is not as street tough as he conveys and this provides several instances where this contrast of knowledge and King's ignorance plays on itself. None of which is funny and all of which seems to be tedious in content. (Unfortunately, there is another execution of irony, however, I will not divulge into such topics due to its prominence to the film's resolution.)

    How does one prepare themselves for a ten-year sentence at a maximum facility? Well, there is the exercise of confronting large individuals in the park, in hopes that they will share some fighting techniques while beating you senseless. Additionally, if one loses all hope, the practice of conducting oral sex on a man becomes the most noteworthy route to survival. (This is not only as bad as it sounds, but we have to actually struggle to watch Ferrell commit such an act--which is not only disturbing--but unwarranted to begin with. It is an image that we could simply live without.) Lastly, there is the art of "keistering," which if you care to know what it consists of, then I suggest you search it.

    Two conclusions can be drawn from the body of work that is "Get Hard." Firstly, it would seem that Kevin Hart, a hot commodity in the comedic duo film, does not mesh well with the stylings of Ferrell. They each have an approach to obtain laughter that is "in your face," so to speak, and when engaging in a picture like this, it seems like everyone is taking and no one is giving. Of course, there are critics who feel that this is the comedic duo for a new generation, and although that is hardly the case, if it were true, then all hope would be lost for the genre of comedy.

    Secondly, it is rather obvious that Hollywood simply does not know what audiences find to be amusing; the material presented here is prime evidence of this. I've found myself more delighted by silent films such as Chaplin's "Gold Rush" than anything bestowed upon me here--which begs the question: Has Hart pondered the thought of a silent production? I feel that he would suit the mold quite fittingly.