Review of Kevin Hart: What Now? (2016) by Kj P — 16 Oct 2016

When it comes to feature films based around stand-up shows from famous comedians, sometimes it begs the question of whether or not the show was great enough to begin with. Films like Eddie Murphy's Delirious was so well received, due to its non-stop laugher from the very talented comedian. Kevin Hart, for me at least, almost stands up on that same pedestal. He has potential of becoming the next Eddie Murphy or the next Chris Rock. I know that is a "tall" order, but it is not impossible. Kevin Hart: What Now? plays out as a narrative story of how Kevin Hart arrived at his sold out show and how it made its audience members feel. At its core, this film was about bringing people together to make them laugh. Does it work as a feature length film or should it have just stayed as his stand-up show?

The best use of story built around a show in order to add a cinematic experience was with a concert film called Metallica: Through the Never. Combining a road-trip style thriller through the streets with a roadie of the band, while the music they were playing helped move the story along was complete escapism. The issue with the story this film displayed when leading up to the big show, was the fact that it was funnier than the show itself. There were quite a few off-the-wall third wall jokes being thrown out to viewers, building up this show, only to have them hysterically laugh a few times throughout. There are quite a few lulls throughout his performance and some of the same jokes are repeated, but it was still very funny overall.

Kevin Hart seemed to give his heart and soul to making people laugh here, and it seems like he has no greater joy in life than to bring joy to others. That being said, I have seen him much funnier than this in the past, which let me wanting so much more when the credits rolled. Yes, if you are a Kevin Hart fan there will be plenty of gut-busters built up throughout the course of his show, but they were too far apart in my opinion. Repeating the same jokes a little too often and spreading out his time on stage in order to lessen the jokes felt a little off-putting. That being said, when the jokes hit, they hit very hard and I was chuckling pretty damn hard.

The big question going into this film is if it will work as a full 90 minute feature film. My answer to that would be no, solely due to the fact that I believe this particular show was not one of his best. Sure, set-up with celebrity cameos and third wall jokes was great, but the show itself was not as funny. I think this film would have served a better purpose on a platform like Netflix. It did not seem like a theatrical experience until the things were occurring outside of his show. Kevin Hart is one of the best comedians out there today which is why I decided to support his film, but the bottom line is that he is funnier than this film displays him.

In the end, Kevin Hart: What Now? is a very, very funny film that displays the best aspects of what makes Kevin Hart as funny as he is, but it just does not seem to work as a narrative film overall. Yes, I will be giving this film a recommendation to anyone who finds his crude and rude humour funny, because there is quite a bit of it throughout and the film fans will get a kick out of the first 20 minutes leading up to the show, but that is about it. I do not think this is one of his better shows, and quite frankly, this idea should have been left for when one of his shows that get the most amount of praise comes out. Kevin Hart: What Now? is funny, but not funny enough to give it a great score.