We’ll assume that you do not go into a Will Ferrell movie expecting particularly clever writing, but that you do expect to find some good laughs. That first sentence sums up Get Hard pretty well. The plot is a bit predictable, the humor relies on sight gags more than anything, and the character development is thin. It’s still pretty funny though.
Review and recap Get Hard
Ferrell stars as James King, a fast-rising hedge fund manager who has just made partner. Everything is going his way. Engaged to the daughter of the firm’s founder, Martin, played by Craig T Nelson, everything is on track for James to have a great life.
All of that changes when he is suddenly arrested by the FBI for a variety of financial crimes. Stunned, James swears his innocence. Martin suggests that he take a plea bargain because the evidence against him is overwhelming. James refuses, and receives a sentence of 10 years hard time in San Quentin. He is also allowed 30 days in which to get his affairs in order.
James knows he is not prepared for prison life, and turns for help to the only “probable” criminal he knows, Darnell, the guy who runs the car wash in his building. Played by Kevin Hart, Darnell is at first offended by the assumption that he’s been to prison, but he needs the $30,000 offered to help James “get hard” for prison, and agrees to mentor him. The only problem is that Darnell has never been to prison and is, in fact, a devoted family man with a squeaky clean record.
The early attempts Darnell makes to help James prepare for prison life are the funniest scenes in the movie, and they are strung together in a way that will keeping you laughing throughout. The way Ferrell and Hart play off of one another is truly special in this part of the film. All good things must come to end, and the magic of their interaction starts to fade once you get past this section of the movie.
The laughter isn’t over quite yet, though. Darnell begins to realize that he is setting James up for a difficult time in prison, and that realization begins to weigh on him. He turns to his cousin, the leader of a local gang (played convincingly by T.I.), to try to provide actual protection for James while he is in prison. This is a second series of truly funny moments.
Eventually, Darnell comes up with a plan that could keep James out of prison entirely. This leads to a climax that is more silly than funny, but in line with what we’ve come to expect from Will Ferrell films. If a few good laughs, without the need to think much, fit your movie bill, Get Hard will deliver.
Cast and Characters of Get Hard include:
James King – Will Ferrell (Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, Elf, The Lego Movie)
Darnell Lewis – Kevin Hart (Think Like a Man, Ride Along, The Wedding Ringer)
Martin Barrow – Craig T. Nelson (Coach, Poltergeist, The Incredibles)
Alissa Barrow – Alison Brie (Community, The Five-Year Engagement, The Lego Movie)
Russell – T.I. (T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle, The Hangover, Furious Seven)
Rita Lewis – Edwina Findley (Middle of Nowhere, If Loving You is Wrong, Insidious: Chapter 2)
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