In spite of all of his obligations, Kevin Hart has found a way to remain connected to his roots as a stand-up comedian. Kevin Hart: What Now? is a representation of that as he clearly desires to have a consistent career outside of movies. I don’t know how long he can keep it up, but his latest venture into stand-up shows me that he has the quality that will still satisfy audiences to go along with the desire to reach new heights.
As with most stand-up, Hart’s routine in Kevin Hart: What Now? is predictably about certain parts of his personal life. Whether it’s mostly fact or fiction doesn’t matter. What matters is that the most popular comic in his era is trying his best to entertain. Not only is he doing that, he’s doing in his hometown fans in Philadelphia. Along with a film style presentation, there’s a genuine attempt to make this night a memorable one for all who attended.
What Now? is funny enough on its own as a stand-up comedy routine. It doesn’t really need all of the add-ons and extras like the movie stuff before and after. It also doesn’t need the set to change every now and then during the actual routine. These aren’t terrible additions, but they had absolutely no impact on how I graded this. I would imagine that those who see this will likely have the same reaction.
With something like this, you’re really just looking to laugh at jokes. There’s obviously not a whole lot more to expect beforehand, so getting that here would be able to satisfy those who are interested in seeing this. In those terms, What Now? is consistently funny and worth taking a trip to your local theater. Just hearing what’s being said as well as seeing some of the audiences reactions will likely be enough to get a reaction from you.
What’s weird about this is that Hart still manages to be safe for stand-up comedian standards while also seeming to have a little more edge. I see him as almost being a PG-13 kind of comic even with all the profanity. So seeing him push the envelope even just a little with his material is new and probably welcome to people who are a little more old school when it comes to their comedy.
With all that’s involved, Kevin Hart’s confidence is growing nearly as fast as his wallet. While he may not be an all-time great, the popular comedian proves to be a genuine funny man in his record-breaking outing as a stand-up comedian. I look to see more of him while he’s still on the roll that he’s been on for a good while now. Based on the quality of What Now?, I’m thinking his run will last at least a bit longer if his material doesn’t dip.
Rating: R
Directors:
Leslie Small
Tim Story
Cast:
Kevin Hart
Halle Berry
Don Cheadle
Ed Helms
Film Length: 96 minutes
Release Date: October 14, 2016
Distributor: Universal Pictures
