Get Hard

Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart have teamed up together for their latest comedy project called ‘Get Hard‘ with enough double entendres for two movies. There are a couple of similarities from ‘Trading Places‘ and ‘Nothing To Lose‘ here in ‘Get Hard‘, but nothing really seems genuine or charming enough to remember this film much beyond two minutes after viewing it. Etan Cohen (not to be confused of the Coen Bros.) steps into the director’s seat for the first time, but has written screenplays such as ‘Men In Black III‘, ‘Tropic Thunder‘, and ‘Idiocracy‘. Clearly, he has some writing talent, but with ‘Get Hard‘, it seems like he just let Ferrell and Hart do their own thing, which can be outrageously funny at times, but can also run off on long tangents, which often happens with this movie.

This movie survives and fails by its overdone racial gender, and sexual humor, all of which has been done many times before this. It’s a tired and exhausting trope with these new comedies, however Hart and Ferrell’s chemistry is quite good. The setup is with James King (Ferrell), an extremely wealthy investment banker who is as white bred as they come. He lives in a giant house with his materialistic fiancée Alissa (Alison Brie) and works at a large investment firm where his boss Martin (Craig T. Nelson) is also his future father-in-law.

Things look good for James until the authorities arrest James at work for securities fraud and embezzlement. He sticks to his guns that he is innocent and was framed, but the judge gives him ten years in prison. Now James has 30 days until he has to report to prison, and being the guy he is, he knows he won’t last a day in jail. That’s when he enlists the help of  Darnell (Hart).

What kind of help does James want from Darnell, who secretly has grown up in the suburbs, far from any street gangs? It’s the kind of help that will make James “get hard” or get tough enough so he will be able to avoid rape and murder in prison, which is apparently all that happens when doing hard time, according to to these two characters. So over a few montage scenes of training, we see Darnell toughen up James.

That is until Darnell finally believes that James is innocent and tries to help him clear his name. Nothing in this movie really makes any sense. Everything is over-the-top and tries to hard to be funny, outrageous, and vulgar. I think certain people will try to say this is homophobic and somewhat racist, but I disagree. These are comedians who are using the stereotypes for comedy, but never in a hurtful way. It’s all in good fun, but it outstays it’s welcome early on. The only thing that matters with this film are Ferrell and Hart, as every other plot device and character are only given a couple of minutes of screen time with no real resolution or point to why anything is happening on screen.

‘Get Hard‘ is the product of two very talented comedic actors who made a movie where they basically have no script and given free reigns to just riff one joke off another for two hours. There are some minor laughs and at least one scene that has Ferrell literally on his knees, deciding on whether or not to go all the way in, but it’s not enough to make the entire film memorable or even that good.

'Get Hard' comes with an impressive 1080p HD transfer presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio, even though the box says 1.85:1. Warner Bros. has done an excellent job here, keeping this new comedy look amazing. The detail is very sharp and vivid throughout the entire film. No matter if we are in daytime or nighttime exteriors or dimly lit or well lit interiors, the detail never goes soft. Every individual hair on Kevin Hart's head and on Will Ferrell's naked body stand out nicely.

The makeup blemishes, certain prosthetics with exemplary detail, and beads of sweat show up very well in closeups. Wider shots showcase great set design and imperfections in the props and the fine stitching in the wardrobe, giving the picture some great depth. Color are always bright and simple pop off screen at all times. Everything is well saturated and balanced too. Black levels are deep and inky and the flesh tones are always natural and realistic. There were no compression issues of any kind here, leaving this video presentation with top marks.

This release comes with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix along with Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in both Spanish and French. This audio presentation is your above average mix for a comedy film that is mostly dialogue driven. The surround speakers get a work out here and there with the hip hop music that plays throughout and the few action scenes, including a fake prison riot, a party sequence, and a scene that involves a flame thrower. The sound effects are all loud, robust, and well defined in each speaker with great directionality. Nothing was ever overly loud or produced shrills.

The gunshots packed a punch and the fight scenes sound well-versed too. The bass rumbles when it needs to, but never ambles away into the rocky territory. The music and score always provide the suspense or comedy without drowning out the dialogue or sound effects as well. The dialogue is always crystal clear and easy to follow, even when characters to fast or yell at the top of their lungs, and free of any pops, cracks, hiss, and shrills. The LFE is excellent and the dynamic range is very wide here, leaving this audio presentation with top marks.

First off, there is an unrated version and the theatrical version here. The unrated version is about seven minutes longer and features extended scenes that are a bit raunchier. Yes there are some funny bits here that are worth watching if you enjoyed the film.

Deleted Scenes (HD, 25 Mins.) - Instead of deleted scenes, this is more or less of the actors riffing and telling different jokes through a few scenes. There are some funny lines, but nothing really deleted here with the exception of a Tupac moment.

'Get Hard' Line-O-Ramas (HD, 9 Mins.) - Almost all of the improvisation between the actors as they riff through their jokes. 

Gag Reel (HD, 3 Mins.) - Your standard flubbed lines, missed cues, laughs, and problems with the set and props.

Just Put Your Lips Together and Blow (HD, 4 Mins.) - More improv from Will Ferrell from the infamous bathroom scene at the gay restaurant.

Will Ferrell: Gangster (HD, 2 Mins.) - Even more improv from Will Ferrell when he he dresses like a gangster rapper.

Bikers, Babes, and Big Bangs (HS, 3 Mins.) - A quick look behind the scenes of the flame thrower scene, complete with a topless stunt.

Ferrell Fighting (HD, 3 Mins.) - A behind the scenes look at Will Ferrell riffing and working on the fight choreography during the heavier fight scenes.

The Kevin Hart Work Out (HD, 3 Mins.) - Another behind the scenes of Kevin Hart this time getting ready for the heavier action sequences.

A Date with John Mayer (HD, 2 Mins.) - Will Ferrell and John Mayer cutting up in front of the camera.

Twerking 101 (HD, 2 Mins.) - Interesting, but this is how to twerk and what people think about it.

Inmates: Out of Control' (HD, 6 Mins.) - Your standard EPK promo reel with cast and crew interviews talking about the characters, story, and just how much fun everyone had on set.

Face Off with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart (HD 6 Mins.) - Hart and Ferrell interview each other with some very fun questions.

'Get Hard' has some funny moments for sure, but they don't come around too often. It's highly predictable and comes across as more or less just a vehicle for Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart to riff off one another, yell, and tell ridiculous jokes and impersonations, devoid of any real story plot that is remotely interesting. Watching the movie again here on Blu-ray, had me laughing a little bit more than the first time in the theatre, but it's still forgettable. After that being said, the video and audio presentations are both top notch here and the unrated version is definitely the way to go. There are a ton of extras here, all of which are funny and worth watching. 'Get Hard' is NOT  a good movie by any means, but if you love Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell, rent it before you buy.