Why So Blu?

Get Hard (Blu-ray Review)

Will Ferrell’s James King is a millionaire head fund manager who is accused of fraud and embezzlement, who seeks the aid of Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart) to prep him for life in prison in Get Hard. The two form an unlikely bond in the 30 days leading up to his incarceration. The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 16^th, 2015 before its wide release in the U.S. on March 27^th.

Film 

Get Hard comes from a long line of comedies dealing with class distinction, venturing back to Preston Sturges and films like Sullivan’s Travels or the antics of Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd in Trading Places. However, while Get Hard has a few laughs along the way, it doesn’t come close to approaching the charm of some of its predecessors.

Jerry Seinfeld recently described what appears to be something of a movement to remove politically incorrect humor from the world as “creepy”, and indeed, it may very well be. Seinfeld might appreciate the attempts of Get Hard to fly far off any spectrum of political correctness, with joke after joke going toward racial stereotypes. It may offend some, but the issue is not so much with the type of humor but with the quantity with which it goes to the well to use it. After twenty or twenty-five jokes dealing with the same thing, you may wonder if the writers have anything else to draw on to elicit laughter.

Film comedies seem to have a bit of a formula in current times. The plot isn’t nearly as important as the talent, and its okay to draft a series of scenes, turn the cameras on the actors, see what comes out, and then piece the best parts of the movie together in the editing room. If you’re looking for story, go someplace else. But if you’re looking for Will Ferrell or Kevin Hart, then you’ve come to the right place.

Luckily, there are laughs to be found in Get Hard, and that’s all thanks to Ferrell and Hart. They’re an unlikely comedic duo, and they find the fun in some scenes that would otherwise be stale and lifeless, even if each is more playing their typical types than actual characters.

The inherent goofiness of what the script has to offer and the styling of the two leads are what will ultimately have you decide on whether or not this film is worth your time. If you’re a fan of either Ferrell or Hart, this is a forgettable offering that will pass the time on say, a Sunday afternoon. If neither performer strikes your fancy, you’re not likely to convert to a newfound admirer of their work with Get Hard.

Video 

Nothing wrong here though. The blu-ray features an excellent transfer of the film from a 2K digital intermediate.

• Encoding: AVC MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p
• Aspect Ratio:85:1
• Clarity/Detail: Excellent, with close-ups and wider shots featuring plenty of terrific details in this encoding.
• Depth: Depth and dimensionality is well on display
• Black Levels: There aren’t a lot of true blacks on display in this bright studio comedy, but there’s certainly no issue when they’re there.
• Color Reproduction: Vivid color reproduction throughout, bright and clear.
• Flesh Tones: The skin tones are all natural and authentic looking throughout.
• Noise/Artifacts: Nothing noticeable

Audio

Solid reproduction for disc here as well.

• Audio Format(s): English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Both Cuts); French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1 (Theatrical Cut Only); Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (Theatrical Cut Only)
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
• Dynamics: Well balanced between clean audio and score tracks.
• Low Frequency Extension: LFE is utilized to bring balance to the presentation.
• Surround Sound Presentation: Music, especially hip-hop, is frequent in the movie, and the disc strikes a good balance when these come into play, along with a few action set pieces.
• Dialogue Reproduction:  Spoken words were clear and intelligible

Extras

Warner Brother’s Blu-Ray contains two cuts of Get Hard – the theatrical cut running 100 minutes, and an unrated cut running 107 minutes. A DVD of the theatrical cut is also included, and there is a redemption code for an Ultraviolet Digital Download. The DVD disc contains a gag reel, while the Blu-Ray contains the following extras:

• Just Put Your Lips Together and Blow (1080p, 3:41): More of one of the movie’s most crude scenes, featuring Will Ferrell improvisations.
• Get Hard Line-O-Ramas (1080p, 9:30): Basically the same as above, just extended improvisations by the actors, referred to as the following:
  • Swear-O-Rama (1:44)
  • Pickup-O-Rama (4:14)
  • Shiv-O-Rama (2:01)
  • Cry A River-O-Rama (1:31)
• The Kevin Hart Workout (1080p, 3:18): A featurette on Kevin Hart doing his own stunts.
• Face-Off with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart (1080p, 5:28): The two comics sit down face-to-face to riff on themselves.
• Will Ferrell Fighting (1080p, 3:06): Featurette on Ferrell’s capoeira and fighting skills.
• A Date with John Mayer (1080p, 2:00): A brief behind-the-scenes look at the duet in the film with Will Ferrell and John Mayer.
• Twerking 101 (1080p, 1:15): Craig T. Nelson learns about twerking.
• Will Ferrell, Gangsta (1080p, 1:45): Will Ferrell’s character goes from hedge fund manager to full blown gangsta.
• Inmates: Out of Control (1080p, 6:18): A making-of featurette discussing Etan Cohen’s directorial debut, the actor’s improvisational techniques, and more.
• Bikers, Babes and Big Bangs (1080p, 3:15): Takes a look at the movie’s biggest action scene, featuring a racist group called the Alliance of Whites.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 3:05)
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 24:47)

Summary

You can pass the time with Get Hard, and you’ll likely laugh more than a few times before it’s all over. But ultimately the film never manages to be much more than a series of racial gags, with a few gay stereotypes on display for good measure. I’m all for being politically incorrect, but it gets a bit tiring to hear offensive jokes over and over at the expense of telling any kind of a story, with the stars the only thing holding it together. It’s worth a glance for fans of Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, but you’ll get the point at the thirty minute mark.

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