Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Get Hard Blu-ray Movie Review

"We do this, we do this hard!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 29, 2015

Get Hard is a comedy in search of a joke funnier than its nudge-and-a-wink title and an edge sharper than other R- rated man-child romps; a joke it never quite finds and an edge it rarely delivers. There are a few solid laughs to be had, to be sure, but only because Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart so joyously and willingly throw themselves body, blood and bone into each weirdly routine, perpetually distasteful misadventure in racism and homophobia first-time director Etan Cohen and producer Adam McKay's quad of see-what-sticks screenwriters have dreamed up. Worse, the most effective bits are straight out of the film's trailers, a number of potentially gut-busting scenes drag on for far too long, and the slapdash story is thin, tiring and forced. (Subsequently the three words that best describe the supporting performances.) If Get Hard were a five- minute SNL sketch, it'd probably kill. At 100, 107-minutes, though? It's a lazy, genre-bound buzzkill.

Naïve hedge fund protégé James King (Will Ferrell) has it all. Money. Wealth. Power. A big house. Fast cars. A hot fiancée (Alison Brie). Even a boss in his soon-to-be father-in-law, Martin (Craig T. Nelson), a self-made CEO eager to make James partner. It all comes crashing down, though, when James is convicted of fraud and embezzlement and sentenced to a lengthy stretch in prison. And not a cozy, five-star white collar facility either. San Quentin State Prison, courtesy of a judge who's grown tired of watching rich Californian criminals and celebrities receive slaps on the wrist. With just thirty days to prepare for seven years of hard lockup, James hires car attendant Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart) to teach him about life on the inside and train him in the art of prison survival. But Darnell isn't an ex-con. He's an upstanding family man that James mistakenly assumes has served time because, tee hee, Darnell is black.

There's just one other little hitch. James is innocent, framed for crimes he didn't commit by someone within the company. This of course eventually leads James and Darnell down a path paved by countless buddy comedies before them: the quest to prove one's innocence. It's a path fraught with obvious villains, unlikable opportunists, one-dimensional caricatures, and stereotype heaped atop stereotype. Every scene is so routine, so familiar, so predictable that there aren't many surprises to be had. (Other than how cringe-worthy some of the gags become.) Not that being able to spot what lies around every corner is a bad thing, but... being able to spot what lies around every corner is a bad thing. The best comedies work as well as they do because you can't see the next joke coming. Even on repeat viewings, the fluidity and spontaneity of the script and performances is so convincing, so hilariously layered or infectious, that the same laughs still catch some part of you by surprise. Nothing about Get Hard is surprising. It's a '90s Happy Madison comedy lost in time, and not a very good one at that.

It doesn't help that the entire film plays like a loosely connected series of vignettes. Will Ferrell tries to pick fights with body builders! Will Ferrell tries to go down on a guy! Will Ferrell learns to make shivs and stash them up his exclamation point! Will Ferrell tries to make friends with the Crenshaw Kings! Will Ferrell tries to form an alliance with white supremacists! And all while other elements of the story are either hurriedly slapped together or woefully underutilized. James' dinner with Darnell and his family is one of the smartest beats in the movie, but it's short-lived and soon forgotten. Get Hard also really, really, really, really wants us to like James. He's dim-witted, not homophobic! Socially oblivious, not racist! A decent human being, not the sort of guy who would scream uncontrollably when a black man knocks on his window! It's a tough sell, and there isn't enough clever social commentary, slick writing or carefully constructed humor to make him much more than a homophobic racist who, come on you guys, at least didn't steal money from people and at least has a black friend by the end of the movie! Am I right?

I really dig Kevin Hart. I have an unhealthy love of Will Ferrell, twenty years strong. And yet I could not -- no matter how hard I tried -- enjoy Get Hard as much as I wanted to. I went in excited, expectations high. I was hoping for the best and had every intention to give it a fair shot. But from the moment I hit "play," my disappointment grew and grew and grew. Soon I was shaking my head. I laughed less and less. Glanced at the time more and more. And eventually resigned myself to merely finishing a movie that could have been so much better.

Get Hard Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Nothing to complain about here. Get Hard boasts an excellent 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that doesn't disappoint in the least. There are hints of crush late in the film, but nothing serious, and there aren't any other issues to report. Noise, artifacting, banding, aliasing and ringing are MIA. Colors are strong, saturation is bright but natural, and skintones are lifelike. Contrast is consistent and black levels are deep. And detail is terrific, with crisp edge definition, well-resolved fine textures and revealing delineation. Whether you love or hate the film, it's easy to agree on one thing: Warner's encode impresses.

Get Hard Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Get Hard also features a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track; one that's a bit more on the livelier side of comedy mixes. Dialogue is intelligible, nicely grounded and perfectly prioritized throughout, but that doesn't mean the film is a complete front heavy bore. A variety of scenes take advantage of the soundfield, bolstered by engaging rear speaker activity, playful directionality, and weighty LFE support. Don't expect high-octane action-comedy sonics. Even fights with body builders, biker gangs and shady businessmen are rather ordinary. But the lossless track itself rarely underwhelms, handling everything the film throws its way with ease.

Get Hard Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Unrated Cut of the Film: The Blu-ray release of Get Hard features two versions of the film: a 100-minute theatrical cut and a 107-minute Unrated extended cut.
• Line-O-Ramas (HD, 10 minutes): Four different Alt-Take-O-Rama reels are available: "Swear-O-Rama," "Pickup- O-Rama," "Shiv-O-Rama" and "Cry a River-O-Rama."
• Just Put Your Lips Together and Blow (HD, 4 minutes): Behind the scenes of Will Ferrell's bathroom "encounter" with Matt Walsh for another round of alternate takes and outtakes.
• The Kevin Hart Workout (HD, 3 minutes): Stunts and wirework with Kevin Hart.
• Face Off (HD, 5 minutes): Ferrell and Hart square off and talk about... very little.
• Ferrell Fighting (HD, 3 minutes): Fisticuffs and capoeira with Ferrell and stunt coordinator Steven Ritzi.
• A Date with John Mayer (HD, 2 minutes): Mayer and Ferrell shoot their guitar duet.
• Twerking 101 (HD, 1 minute): Craig T. Nelson is introduced to twerking.
• Will Ferrell, Gangsta (HD, 2 minutes): Ferrell in full gangsta getup.
• Inmates: Out of Control (HD, 6 minutes): Ferrell, Hart and director Etan Cohen in a fairly standard EPK.
• Bikers, Babes and Big Bangs (HD, 3 minutes): Burning down the house with the film's white supremacists.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 25 minutes): A lengthy collection of deleted and extended scenes.
• Gag Reel (HD, 3 minutes): One last hurrah, three more minutes of laughs.

Get Hard Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Get Hard is a premise comedy, through and through. Great idea. Poor execution. Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart are funny but the film isn't, losing its way early on and never really recovering. Was it a complete waste of time? For me, nothing starring Ferrell and Hart could ever be a complete waste of time. I suspect it will strike many as a waste of money, though. I'd strongly suggest renting this one before buying. Thankfully, Warner's Blu-ray release is decidedly decent, with a striking video presentation, solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a fan-oriented selection of special features.