Check out our review of this serviceable comedy from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment that stars Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart. When millionaire James King is jailed for fraud and bound for San Quentin, he turns to Darnell Lewis to prep him to go behind bars.

The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )

Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )

85
Details:

Studio and Year: Warner - 2015
MPAA Rating: R/Unrated
Feature running time: 100/107 minutes
Genre: Comedy

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, English/French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Starring: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Craig T . Nelson, Tip Harris, Alison Brie
Directed by: Etan Cohen
Music by: Christophe Beck
Written by: Jay Martel, Ian Roberts, Etan Cohen
Region Code: A

Blu-ray Disc release Date: June 30, 2015
"An education in incarceration"
My Take:

When millionaire hedge fund manager James (Will Ferrell) is nailed for fraud and bound for a stretch in San Quentin, the judge gives him 30 days to get his affairs in order. Desperate, he turns to Darnell (Kevin Hart) to prep him for a life behind bars. But despite James’ one-percenter assumptions, Darnell is a hard-working small business owner who has never received a parking ticket, let alone been to prison.

Together, the two men do whatever it takes for James to “get hard” and, in the process, discover how wrong they were about a lot of things – including each other.

After seeing the trailer for Get Hard I knew exactly what to expect, a throw away comedy that would throw every insipid, politically incorrect, crass and outlandish situational gag at the wall to see what stuck. The fact that is true doesn’t mean that Get Hard isn’t funny. Writer’s Jay Martel, Ian Roberts and co-writer/director go for everything, including the kitchen sink, which certainly smacks of lazy writing but there are some laugh out loud moments to be found amidst the dreck .

I admittedly tend to find Will Ferrell’s penchant for one note comedy and incessant half naked antics to be tiresome and of course you get some of that here. Kevin Hart has managed to find himself in a plethora of films of late. Like Ferrell he rarely ranges outside of his comfort zone but has excellent
comedic timing and the type of charisma that makes him entertaining to watch. The plot for Get Hard isn’t the problem as the potential for a solid comedy is there. The screenplay relies too heavily on the star power of Ferrell and Hart and bombarding the audience with over the top situations and cheeky humor rather than crafting a funny bone tickling comedy that resonates.

Be that as it may, there is no denying that Hart and Ferrell make for a decent tandem whose chemistry provides moments that could certainly make Get Hard popular among those that enjoy fast food comedies. As someone that can take or leave these types of films I took it for what it was, enjoyed the sporadic chuckles and called it a day. I think my son summed it up best when he said “this isn’t a very good movie but it IS funny”.

Parental Guide:

The rating is for pervasive crude and sexual content and language, some graphic nudity, and drug material.

AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:REFERENCE= 92-100/EXCELLENT= 83-91/GOOD= 74-82/AVERAGE= 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE= under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**

Audio: 80
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
  • Dynamics:
  • Low frequency effects:
  • Surround Sound presentation:
  • Clarity/Detail:
  • Dialogue Reproduction:
  • Low frequency extension * (non-rated element): NA
  • DSU Rating * (non-rated element): NA
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
  • Resolution/Clarity:
  • Black Level/Shadow Detail:
  • Color Reproduction:
  • Fleshtones:
  • Compression:
Get Hard comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 26 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.1 Mbps.

This is a high quality video
presentation that seems a perfect match for the source material. Colors are deeply saturated with eye pleasing vitality and delineated depth. Images are resolute, with stable sharpness, crisp detail and appreciable subtle refinement. Contrast is dynamic without being overpowering and blacks are respectable in depth with discernible detail in low lighting and shadows. I didn’t see any signs of video related artifacts and thought that in general video quality was excellent.

The lossless soundtrack competently delivered the elements present in the recording. Dialogue was well intonated with crystal clarity and good room penetration. The presentation offered an open soundstage across the front with definitive channel separation and good dynamic range. Surround use was limited to spatial cues and occasional panning effects that enhanced dimension. This was noticeable during the chase and bowling alley sequences and created a fair sense of envelopment in the rear of the room. There weren’t any sub bass frequencies contained in the mix however the subwoofer was used to provide low bass emphasis that extended the low range content associated with the soundtrack’s elements.

Bonus Features:
  • (HD) Just Put Your Lips Together and Blow – 3 minute featurette
  • (HD) GET HARD Line-O-Ramas – 4 segments
  • (HD) The Kevin Hart Workout – 3 minute featurette
  • (HD) Face Off with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart – 5 minute featurette
  • (HD) Ferrell Fighting – 3 minute featurette
  • (HD) A Date with John Mayer – 2 minute feature
  • (HD) Twerking 101
  • (HD) Will Ferrell, Gangsta
  • (HD) Inmates: Out of Control – 6 minute featurette
  • (HD) Bikers, Babes and Big Bangs – 3 minute featurette
  • (HD) Gag Reel – 3 minutes
  • (HD) Deleted scenes – 24 minutes
  • Bonus DVD
  • Digital HD Copy
Final Thoughts:

Get Hard is a serviceable fast food style comedy that is helped along by the chemistry and comedic charisma of its two stars. It comes to Blu-ray from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment featuring excellent high definition video, crystal clear lossless sound and a middling supplemental set that should appeal to fans of the film. Depending on your tolerance for comedies of its ilk Get Hard musters enough laughs to be worth a rental on Blu-ray.

Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS4910 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8802 13.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" and In-Ceiling series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SVS PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
SVS PC12-NSD
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package