Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Kevin Hart: What Now? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 13, 2017

"It was the best of times, it was the funniest of times." Kevin Hart: What Now? is a dual-purpose Comedy special that's a tale of two styles: a Hart mini-movie (directed by Fantastic Four's Tim Story) and a Hart stand-up Comedy routine. While neither proves particularly groundbreaking, it's nice to see the stand-up home video release find a little more muscle beyond the simple regurgitation of the performance. So often home video presentations lose much of the energy that flows through the building. Sure the jokes still hit, but the atmosphere of the live show is gone, the laughs genuine but amounting to little more than a sitcom laugh track. That's still true with What Now?, but Hart has at least done something interesting with the bookends to add a little bit of extra spice (and Halle Berry, also spice) to the mix. And extra spice is never a bad thing, especially when it's paired with Kevin Hart.

What Now begins three hours prior to Hart's stand-up performance in front of an enthusiastic Philadelphia crowd. He's dressed to the nines, he's got a beautiful woman (Berry) at his side, and he decides to suavely partake in a high-stakes poker game against some very bad people, including the "Really Evil Villain" (David Meunier). What happens next, well, that's best left to the movie (and a little more give in the rest of the review) but Hart ultimately finds himself in a change of clothes and a change of style as he swaps super-spy for super-comedian in a very funny stand-up routine.

While What Now? doesn't give equal time to both parts -- the "Bond" bit only lasts a few minutes before and after the show -- it's nevertheless nice to see routine broken and a comedian try something different, even if "different" is merely Hart offering his own take on a popular franchise. What makes the "Bond" bit so funny, however, is that it suddenly turns into The Equalizer, the scene in which Denzel Washington's Bob McCall analyzes the room full of criminals and calculates the time necessary to clear it. Doubling the fun is that Hart brings David Meunier to reprise his role as the sleazy criminal in his film, too, making the recreated scene much more authentic but, at the same time, obviously, comically slanted to Hart's own design. The finale plays on the big movie spectacle with helicopters, explosions, and all that good stuff. Hart and his team frame it with a goofy grace and tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement that it's "bad" by a traditional movie standard but all the more fun for its cheese. To be sure, there's nothing serious about the bookends; they're basically Hart just playing dress-up and having a good time recreating a couple of his favorite movies and scenes. It really doesn't add anything substantial to his act, but it's a nice change-up nevertheless.

The stand-up routine is entertaining but nothing out of the ordinary in terms of structure or delivery. Hart's a fine comedian and makes the most of his gifts -- both his verbal delivery and his physical mannerisms, particularly some of the supportive facial contortions -- but his performance doesn't really stand apart as anything special. Delightful? Yes. High energy? Certainly. Side-splitting funny? Eh, most of the time. He seems more comfortable in movies where he has someone to play against (an Ice Cube, for example) rather than have to rely entirely on his own cadence and timing, which he's more than capable of doing but doing a little better with someone at his side. His routine covers a lot of interesting ground -- raccoons, females, sharks, a gift from his son, his take on the movie The Conjuring, sex toys, toilet habits, Starbucks -- that seems diverse, and it is, but Hart keeps it all in balance and his audience in check with an expert ability to transition, to flow, to keep the narrative moving even as many of the pieces are so superficially disparate. It's funny stuff (and very much for an adult audience only) and Hart generally hits it all for all it's worth.

Kevin Hart: What Now? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kevin Hart: What Now? features a fairly straightforward digitally sourced 1080p image both for the bookend Bond/Bob segments and the heart of the matter, Hart's stand-up routine. Solid clarity, good textural integrity, all of the hallmarks of an honest transfer are on display. Clothing details are impressively complex, whether the higher end attire in the beginning of the Bond open or the leathery jacket Hart wears for the first part of the routine until (it seems) he becomes too hot with it on. Image clarity allows the viewer to see the accumulating sweat on his face as well as basic skin textural highlights in close-ups. A few distance shots of the arena present with good basic clarity of the large screens and collected audience. Color stability and vibrancy are fine, neither visually standing out nor dumbing down for the program. A bit of noise and aliasing are evident in spots, but neither are all that serious. The image isn't anything remarkable in the Blu-ray age, but fans should be pleased with the nuts-and-bolts quality on display.

Kevin Hart: What Now? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kevin Hart: What Now?'s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is much like the video: fine, but in no way spectacular or apt to stand out from the crowd. The bookend segments offer some nice little bits and pieces, like popping gunfire and a helicopter zooming front to back, expansive music, and a positive low end over the opening theme song (which Hart seems to be singing himself). As for the stand-up portion, it's rather straightforward. Crowd noise is often too mushy to effectively recreate a live experience, but it does stretch and push into the back for some needed depth. Hart's dialogue is clear and precise with natural front-center positioning and a hint of reverberation through the cavernous stadium.

Kevin Hart: What Now? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Kevin Hart: What Now? contains a few featurettes, an alternate open, and a collection of deleted and alternate scenes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Alternate Opening (1080p, 2:44).
• Deleted/Alternate Scenes (1080p, 3:02 total runtime): WTF, Charming Kevin - Alternate, He's Got a Big D!&k - Alternate, Flash Forward, and Out the Window.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 2:43).
• Making of a Spy Intro (1080p, 6:13): Some of the specifics of the James Bond open with an emphasis on the Hart-Story relationship.
• On Tour with Kevin Hart (1080p): A multi-part featurette that follows Hart around the country.
• Laredo, Texas - Rehearsals (2:04): Hart rehearses his high-flying intro.
• Manhattan, Kansas - Kevin Works (2:26): Hart makes his way to the stage and mingles with some fans.
• Birmingham, Alabama - Kevin's Chicken Wings (1:39): The comedian chows down on wings.
• Knoxville, Tennessee - Kevin Checks His Crew (3:11): Kevin introduces some of his crew.
• Tampa Bay, Florida - Kevin's Sleepy Crew (2:12): Nap time for Hart's employees, and he's not happy about it.
• Boston, Massachusetts - Kids on Tour (2:09): Hart's kids accompany him on the tour.
• Hampton, Virginia - Ringing in the New Year (1:45): Hart on stage to celebrate the new year.
• Philadelphia - 36 Hours Earlier (2:52): Hart visits Lincoln Financial Field.

Kevin Hart: What Now? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even as it does something different by bookending with a James Bon spoof (with a bit of Bob McCall thrown in, too), Kevin Hart: What Now? doesn't exactly redefine stand-up comedy. The bookends are more Hart indulging in a few whims of fancy, it seems, but that's OK. It's fun for him and the audience alike, and it stretches the runtime a little bit, too. The stand-up act takes up the bulk of the runtime and maneuvers through a bunch of different topics, all with a Hart slant and touch that's usually very funny. Universal's Blu-ray release of Kevin Hart: What Now? features good video and audio. A few quality supplements are thrown into the mix, too. Recommended.