This movie is a sober treatise about race relations in America. Will Farrell delves deep into the heart of what separates us and what brings us together to try to get past the imaginary lines that we put in between us. With the help of Kevin Hart, they explore the common ground that we can use as a first step to healing the cultural and race divide that has been constructed by years of oppression and cultural disharmony.
Okay, it doesn't actually do any of that. This movie is the racial equivalent of a fart joke. We start with Will Farrell as the excessively wealthy hedge fund manager and fiancee of the impressively gorgeous and self-absorbed Alison Brie. He works for his soon to be father in law, played by Craig T. Nelson, and has no concept of other people around him. Inevitably, he gets convicted of a crime he did not commit, and he has to figure out how to survive in prison.
Enter Kevin Hart, owner of a struggling car washing business, husband, and father of a lovely little girl. While he has no first hand knowledge of prison, Will assumes that he has been to prison (based on his color alone) and hires him to prepare Will for all of the horrible things he will have to deal with once he reports for his sentence.
This movie isn't Shakespeare, and it's not intended to be. It's supposed to be a fun romp through the mind of an idiot and the money-grubbing family man who is trying to exploit the situation for his own gain. Actually, I'm not sure that is supposed to be it, either, but I can't think of a better way to describe the plot. So, we wind up with a comedy that laughs at the stupid, privileged white guy and the almost streetwise black man who is helping him.
It would be fine if this was particularly funny, but I get the sense that this could just as easily be an Earnest Goes to Prison movie and get about the same number of laughs from me. It is stupid comedy at its stupidest. Pretty sure Paul Blart 2 is more highbrow than this.
Direction was okay
Acting was pretty lousy
Story was bad
Dialog was okay
Comedy was stale
Bottom Line: If you're looking for a stupid comedy, there are better out there.
0.5/5