Kevin Hart’s transition from comedian to a dramatic actor just isn’t working. The comedian’s second turn in a more serious role, director Paul Weitz‘s “Fatherhood” for Netflix— 2019’s “The Upside” was his first — is all downside, and it’s missing some crucial elements.
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Glaringly absent is the comedian’s beating heart and his manic soul, which can light up the screen and turn even the most mundane material into rip-roaring laughs. Part of what makes Hart’s comedy work — even when it isn’t all that funny sometimes — is his spirited energy and cheerful arrogance in the face of more realistic, everyday characters. If you watch him on “First Take,” roasting “sports analyst” Stephen A. Smith, it’s not only laugh-out-loud funny but laugh-out-loud loud. He’s able to crank up the volume on your TV without having to touch a button. But in “Fatherhood,” he’s put on mute.
While there’s nothing wrong with Hart trying another gear and trying something new, the actor shows little aptitude for it. Worse, literally, any actor with two eyes, ears, and a nose could play the nondescript Matt (Hart), a father who aimlessly sulks through life like a Rumba with feelings. Matt recently lost his wife during childbirth, and there isn’t a one-liner insight which is fine in theory but just goes against all of Hart’s strengths. The funniest thing about the first act is how director Paul Weitz treats Matt’s situation as if no one has ever had to raise a child alone, as if thousands of dads within a five-mile radius aren’t going through the exact same thing.
After the funeral, Matt’s mother, Anna (Thedra Porter), and mother-in-law, Marion (Alfre Woodard), tell him he can’t raise a child on his own and that he should move closer to family. Later, his bros (Lil Rel Howery and Anthony Carrigan) crack jokes at his expense, emphasizing the impossibility of raising a child without breasts. Who says that? But Matt is kind and caring and resilient, and he’s going to raise Maddy on his own, even if it means bringing her to work, stores, poker nights, and basketball games. It’s what her mother would have wanted, though she might have asked Matt to hire a babysitter instead of bringing her to smokey game night or on crowded flights.
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Weitz fills out the rest of “Fatherhood” with your standard-issue sap and bland side characters. The MVP, however, is Howrey as Jordan. With a goofy charm that recalls his performance in “Get Out,” Howrey steals the show. He’s the only one who has any real chemistry with Hart, and anytime Jordan brings over a six-pack to cheer Matt up, you desperately want them to ditch the plot for a boys-night-out. Their bromance, surprisingly, is the best part of the movie, leaving the true movie — Hart wanting to be a responsible, good father — dull and uneventful.
Taking on a leading role, Hart is tasked with carrying the heavier emotional load, and he more than proves his charm and chops. But Howrey upstages him at every turn. He still gets a few chuckles from the grounded premise (a scene where Matt brings Maddy to a pickup game is downright hilarious), but it just always feels like Weitz and Hart are putting the comedians’ ability in a straight-jacket in the name of something more earnest (that actually isn’t very interesting).
But the comedy doesn’t usually mesh with the rest of the film, which is more touching than funny, but never all that poignant either. While “Fatherhood” has a heart, it just doesn’t have a Kevin Hart (the Kevin Hart we fell in love with, anyway), and it focuses more on extracting syrupy warm smiles than giddy laughs. It’s missing the spark that Hart usually brings to the table, no matter what kind of film it is. While “Fatherhood” could have been an interesting pivot in his career, the script is too standard-issue and unimaginative to inspire a great dramatic performance from Hart. Taking this risk may be admirable, but it just might be back to the basics for everyone’s favorite loud-mouth unless he finds some better material. [C-]