2.5 stars. Rated R, for pervasive crude and sexual content, relentless profanity, graphic nudity and drug references
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 3.27.15
If relentless vulgarity and
blithe racism, sexism and homophobia can be considered an art form, then I
guess Will Ferrell is a Rembrandt.
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| "Trapped" within the confines of the faux jail cell made from his own study, James (Will Ferrell, center) nervously awaits the moment when his house staff and grounds keeper will "pretend" to beat on him, prison-style, while Darnell (Kevin Hart, right) supervises. |
There may be a racial, gender or
religious faction left unsmeared by Ferrell’s newest foray into moron comedy,
but it’d be hard to determine who got left behind.
And, no doubt, that would have
been an oversight. I’m sure scripters Adam McKay, Jay Martel, Ian Roberts and
Etan Cohen — the latter also occupying the director’s chair — intended to be
equal-opportunity offensive.
Get Hard is typical Ferrell,
with the Saturday Night Live veteran swanning through yet another contrived
plot constructed around its boorish sight gags. By no means can what Ferrell
does be termed acting, since his entire persona is built around a naïve twit
alter-ego who cheerfully, unwittingly, insults and outrages everybody within
his orbit.
This gimmick has served him well
for 20 years, so I guess he sees no reason to change. And it could be argued
that viewer indignation and disgust are tempered by the fact that Ferrell works
hardest to make fun of himself. He clearly knows that his various screen
characters are ignorant, clueless boobs, and he revels in their boobishness.
Which, in a weird way, makes his
behavior more palatable.
A bit more palatable, anyway.
Because — as always is the case —
a little of Will Ferrell goes a long, long way, and 100 minutes of him in Get Hard might have
been difficult to endure ... were in not for the truly hilarious presence of
co-star Kevin Hart.
Frankly, Hart should get top
billing. He runs away with this film, stealing every scene he’s in, and he’s a
helluva lot funnier than Ferrell. Hart has the rhythmic physical grace,
streetwise savvy and impeccable comic timing of a young Eddie Murphy at his
prime: a vibrant screen presence that couldn’t be a more welcome alternative to
Ferrell’s insipid white-bread doofus.
