Universal Pictures
When you’re as hardworking and successful in show business as comedian Kevin Hart is, you probably get asked the question “What now?” a lot. From the buddy cop Ride Along franchise to The Wedding Ringer, Get Hard and The Untouchables and Jumanji reboots due next year, the man seems to be in virtually every comedy these days – and he’s earning top dollar and generating huge box office receipts. It seemed only natural then that the comedian would decide to do a comedy tour to capitalize upon his “king of comedy” status while the iron is still hot.
In 2015, Hart embarked upon a 90-city run for the “What Now? Tour” before taking his signature brand of brash but personable stand-up comedy international to Europe and Africa. While it wasn’t the first time the comedian took to the stand-up stage, it has been generating much industry buzz because of the record-breaking crowds and revenue he’s raked in on this tour. On August 30, 2015, Hart set a record for becoming the first comedian to ever headline – and sell out – a stadium show, performing at Lincoln Financial Field in his hometown of Philadelphia.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the packed house was approximately 53,000 people. All to see one man perform stand-up comedy. Let that sink in, people. Could Jerry Seinfeld have sold out a football stadium in his prime time in the ‘90s? Perhaps, but we’ll never know for sure. Many have credited Hart with the current resurgence in the popularity of stand-up comedy. The momentous tour stop was filmed for posterity and has now made its way to the big screen in the form of Kevin Hart: What Now? And as the comedian himself notes at the end of the movie, the audience in attendance was a cross section representing all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and ages, all coming together to enjoy a night of comedy. Hart is somehow appealing to the masses and laughing himself all the way to the bank.
What can Kevin Hart fans expect from the stand-up concert movie? Rated “R” for some crude sexual material and profanity, it’s roughly an hour and thirty-six minutes of Hart poking fun at his family, friends and how much his life has changed now that he’s in his 30s. Everything from his distrust of raccoons and how uncomfortable he is placing an order at a Starbucks, to how much private schools have ruined his children’s “street cred” is fair game in his comedic material. And for the most part, it’s a solid set that had just about the entire audience in my movie theatre laughing (and again, looking around me, I’d say we were also a cross section representing people of all types).
While you should think of Hart as a bit of a coward and an ass for some of the jokes he cracks about leaving his woman and children behind in the event of anything bad happening, you can’t because of his natural likability. One of the most interesting segments to me was learning why Hart has a fear of using airport bathrooms when he’s on the road. Hint: it has something to do with the number of people who will stake out the bathroom for a chance to snap a selfie with a celebrity. I *almost* felt bad for the guy, as he humorously expressed fear that someday someone is going to reach over the stall to snap a pic of him “bare butting public toilets.” But then I reminded myself that he was set to bring in over $35 million from this comedy tour alone, achieving rock star status in the world of stand-up comedy, and then my feelings subsided a bit.
The stand-up material is sandwiched in-between a James Bond spoof featuring Kevin Hart, Halle Berry, Ed Helms, David Meunier and Don Cheadle, among others. The casino segment was apparently directed by Tim Story (the director of Ride Along). In my honest opinion, the movie did not need this spoof. For the most part, it comes across as clichéd and hokey. However, I get what he was trying to achieve. He was having fun being himself and being larger than life as Agent 0054, the suave “black Bond” that the public-at-large has been clamoring for the past several years. Kudos to him for living out his dreams and having enough charisma as a leading man to bring his audience along for the ride.
I didn’t see his last big screen stand-up concert film, 2013’s Let Me Explain, but I’m told the content of this one reflects a slightly older, wiser Hart. Bottom line: if you’re a fan of Kevin Hart’s comedy, then I think you’ll have an enjoyable time with his latest venture. Love him or hate him though, you have to give him props for such a larger-than-life accomplishment in the world of stand-up comedy.
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