Film
Get Hard
Will Ferrell plays a clueless hedge fund criminal sent to prison, hiring Kevin Hart's carwash owner to teach him survival. It's a broad comedy about two men from different worlds that swings for laughs with wildly uneven results. The premise is sharper than the execution, but when it lands, it's genuinely funny. For fans of Ferrell and Hart's chemistry over subtlety.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy odd-couple comedies where two stubborn men trade blunt insults and the jokes come from pride and class friction more than from gags.
Skip it if you tire easily of crude, broad humour, since the racial and class jokes often land heavy and the buddy-movie rhythms are very familiar.
What it asks of you: A brisk hundred minutes, mostly built on bickering and escalating set pieces, with little interest in quiet moments; it stays loud and light throughout.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Trading Places1983
Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd swap class positions in a brilliantly constructed comedy about privilege and assumption. The setup and payoff are executed with real wit, and the film trusts its audience to follow the mechanism.
But It's a 1980s film that moves at a different pace than modern comedies. The satire is sharper than the laughs, which some find cold.

The Other Guys2010
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as bumbling detectives. It's absurdist and propulsive, with genuine character work underneath the chaos. Wahlberg's deadpan rage is comedy gold.
But The plot is barely functional and exists only to string together set pieces. If you need coherence, this will frustrate you.

Ride Along2014
Kevin Hart and Ice Cube as a motormouth civilian and a tired cop. Hart's energy meets Cube's immovable object, and the chemistry works. It's fleet and unpretentious about what it is.
But It's a buddy-cop template without surprises. The action sequences are forgettable and the plot is mechanical.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Get Hard
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
In Good Company2004
Both films hinge on a privileged character learning humility from someone they initially dismissed; the difference is one commits to that theme as the story's heart rather than the setup for jokes.
A comedy about class collision where the business world meets the human world—a corporate newbie and a downsized senior executive navigate respect and worth. It has the same DNA of 'privileged person learns from someone they underestimated,' but executed with restraint and actual tenderness instead of broad comedy. Scarlett Johansson and Dennis Quaid have real chemistry.
But It's a romantic comedy first, which dates the film and softens the satire. The corporate critique is surface-level and the ending is conventional.

More like this (7)
Coming to America1988
Eddie Murphy as an African prince learning humility in Queens. Rich with character work, smart writing, and genuine heart alongside the comedy. It's confident enough to let scenes breathe.
But Some of the comedy has aged into uncomfortable territory. The pacing drags in the middle act.

Central Intelligence2016
Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson as mismatched intelligence operatives. Hart's chattiness against Johnson's bemused solidity is fun, and the action is genuinely inventive in places.
But The story is forgettable and exists only to justify the pairing. The emotional beats feel obligatory.

48 Hrs.1982
Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte as a convict and a cop forced together. Murphy's improvisational brilliance against Nolte's gravel creates real magic. It's tense and funny in equal measure.
But The premise is slight and the action drags in stretches. The film relies heavily on Murphy's charisma carrying weak material.

Tropic Thunder2008
A satire of ego and incompetence in filmmaking, with an ensemble cast swinging for absurdity. Robert Downey Jr. in blackface is genuinely committed comedy gold. It's fearless and inventive.
But The satire can feel thin, and the film mistakes volume for sharpness. Some joke structures are dated.

Bridesmaids2011
A character-driven comedy where the emotional stakes matter as much as the jokes. Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy create real moments between the chaos. It's smartly written and genuinely touching.
But The comedy can be crude and some jokes lean on humiliation. The romance subplot feels obligatory in places.

The Taste of Things2023
Where Get Hard uses class difference for comedy, this uses it as the skeleton of a love story—examining what happens when social hierarchies govern the people we're closest to.
A French film about a master chef and his housekeeper of decades, in a relationship built on unspoken affection and culinary collaboration. It's about class, power, and the way two people can know each other completely without ever naming it. Gorgeously filmed and deeply human—the opposite of frenetic.
But It's slow and contemplative with minimal plot. If you need comedy and constant momentum, this will feel like watching paint dry. It's also in French with subtitles.

American Crime Story2016
Both examine privilege and assumption, but Get Hard treats it as a laugh and this treats it as a disease in the system. One shows you the problem and makes you giggle; this shows you the problem and makes you think about your own blindness.
A five-part documentary examining race, celebrity, and justice through the prism of O.J. Simpson's trial. It's a masterclass in how privilege, race, and media collide—and how those forces determine outcomes in ways far more serious than comedy. Astonishingly well-constructed and impossible to look away from.
But It's bleak and deeply uncomfortable. You will sit with complicity and systemic injustice for many hours. It's not entertaining in a fun sense—it's essential viewing, which is different.

People
Cast
Will FerrellJames King
Kevin HartDarnell Lewis
Alison BrieAlissa
Craig T. NelsonMartin
T.I.Russell
Greg GermannPeter Penny
Matt WalshBathroom Stall Man
Mariana Paola VicenteAlissa's Friend
Katia GomezRosa
Candi BrooksAlissa's Friend
Jimmy FallonJimmy Fallon
Edwina FindleyRita
Directing
- Etan CohenDirector
- Richard CowanFirst Assistant Director
- Cate HardmanScript Supervisor
- Scott AugustSecond Assistant Director
- Gregory S. CarrSecond Second Assistant Director
Writing
- Etan CohenScreenplay
- Ian RobertsScreenplay
- Jay MartelScreenplay
- Adam McKayStory
- Ian RobertsStory
- Jay MartelStory
Production
- Allison JonesCasting
- Bob DohrmannCo-Producer
- Bill DraperExecutive In Charge Of Production
- Jessica ElbaumExecutive Producer
- Kevin J. MessickExecutive Producer
- Ravi D. MehtaExecutive Producer
- Steven MnuchinExecutive Producer
- Batou ChandlerLocation Manager
- Adam McKayProducer
- Chris HenchyProducer
- Will FerrellProducer
- Bob DohrmannUnit Production Manager
Recommended by
Dinner for Schmucks, Dirty Grandpa, The Man from Toronto, MacGruber, Grimsby, The Out-Laws, The Last Shot, Spy Guys, Night School