[yasr_overall_rating]
Comedian Kevin Hart performs in front of a crowd of 50,000 people at Philadelphia’s outdoor venue, Lincoln Financial Field.
Standup comedy movies are a contradiction in and of themselves. For fans of comedy, all that is needed is a great comedian, and for fans of movies, great actors make the case almost one hundred percent of the time. When great comedians go above and beyond the realm of comedy in the same format, it takes away from their true talent. This is the case here with “Kevin Hart: What Now?” In what appears to be the beginning of a gangster thriller, Kevin and Halle Berry pair off as a Bonnie and Clyde-type pair who bank on Kevin’s distractive personality in order to gain control of the high-stakes poker tables at a casino. When they make a total mess of the heist by distracting every major player, which includes an hilarious Don Cheadle, it turns into a bloody shootout and then Kevin just walks away and ends up on the field to perform his standup comedy act. This is the part you want forget, because nothing else matters when Kevin walks onto the stage of an historic, sold-out performance at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field in front of a crowd of 50,000.
When Kevin Hart delivers this historic performance at what he considers home (Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field), the comedian slays on every level imaginable. From the moment he opens his mouth, his confidence sets a foundation of sheer comfort and his climatic musings form trails of laughter that follow every single story and observation he makes about daily living. It is safe to say that no one or any situation is exempt as he tears through his family, friends and anyone who comes within his radar of humor. His most admirable trait seems to keeping a straight face while the entire audience is in stitches. It appears early on that he is keenly aware of his circle of impact as this performance follows his 2013 hit standup movie which became the third-highest grossing live stand-up comedy movie of all time. When the performance ends, Kevin acknowledges that this is the best he has felt in his life. As he exits the stage, and half the theater audience exits the auditorium, the storyline immediately picks back up when his partner in crime, Halle, pairs back up to finish where they left off, begging to answer the question, What Now? Honestly, it was hard for me to follow the storyline after his comedic blockbuster performance and my only question was why? As in why would such a great performance be tampered with by adding an additional storyline when the performance itself could have stood alone in all its wonder?
Directors Leslie Small and Tim Story have put together fine footage and incredible scenery that make for great elements in entertainment, but clearly, Kevin’s standup record can stand alone, and though it’s all in good humor, I’d prefer it to be in separate places.
In theaters Friday, October 14th
