“Get Hard” is the sort of comedy you laugh at, then feel bad about it later.
This buddy flick from Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart is about as politically incorrect as you can get. It contains all sorts of stereotypes about black people, white people, gay people, incarcerated people … basically, people.
Yet it’s also undeniably funny.
Ferrell plays James King, a high-finance type who’s been convicted of securities fraud, and has a few weeks to prepare before going off to maximum-security prison. He’s innocent of his crimes, but guilty of being an over-privileged jerk. James hires Darnell (Hart) to help toughen him up because, well, he’s essentially the only black guy he knows.
Darnell is actually a hardworking young business owner with a family; if anything, he’s kind of a squeamish nebbish. But he’s happy to play the gangbanger for pay.
Soon Darnell is running James through his concocted prison boot camp, turning the latter’s mansion into a simulated prison, with his servants happily playing the oppressors. James learns how to front a “mad dog face” and hide contraband in, uh, dark places.
“Get Hard” won’t win any originality awards; it’s basically an unauthorized remake of “Trading Places.” But if it wallows for its laughs, it still earns them.
Video extras are pretty good, though you’ll need to buy the Blu-ray combo pack to get most of them. The DVD comes only with a gag reel.
The combo comes with deleted scenes and a bunch of featurettes — some touching on production, others just opportunities for more comedy. Consider some of the titles: “Twerking 101,” “Bikers, Babes and Big Bangs” and “Put Your Lips Together and Blow.”
Movie: 4 Yaps Extras: 4 Yaps