By Vivian Kane | Celebrity | March 24, 2015 |
By Vivian Kane | Celebrity | March 24, 2015 |
Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell have been out pushing their new comedy Get Hard, which despite what you may have heard, is totes not racist or homophobic. At least, not according to Hart and Ferrell. In an interview with HitFix’s Louis Virtel (which you can watch here), the two attempt to talk their way around some of the film’s most glaring offenses— for starters, a scene in which Kevin Hart does a “mockingly effeminate voice” and Will Ferrell gags at the sight of a dick “as if [a gay situation] is the worst thing that could happen to a straight guy.” Virtel notes that they are both funny, intelligent people, so he can’t help but ask, “Did you think ‘this is mildly mean spirited’ or at the very least, a little bit dated?” To which Kevin Hart gave what is quite possibly the best non-response ever recorded.
I said to myself, ‘this is funny.’ And at the end of the day, funny is funny regardless of what area it’s coming from. So you know, when doing it, I felt that the scene called for the actions and reactions that we gave. For the individuals that we’re portraying, the characters that we’re playing, it’s what fit them for those moments. I just look for the laugh, man, and the best way to get there.I think “best way” was a funny choice of words, but I guess easiest and cheapest could also in many situations be called “best.” Will Ferrell does a slightly better job of straightsplaining the situation, but basically just ends up describing what a movie is.
The premise of the movie is addressing the fears that someone may have going into prison. We didn’t come up with those fears. They’re just a societal norm. So, uh, that’s where the comedy comes from.Does someone want to explain to Will Ferrell that presenting stereotypes is not the same thing as commenting on them? To be fair, I have not seen Get Hard, so perhaps the movie comes around at the end and provides some sort of insightful commentary on the homophobia and racism inherent in our views on the prison syst— oh god, I’m sorry, I just snort-laughed so hard I almost broke my computer.
Possibly even more incredible that the non-answers to Virtel’s homophobia questions are Hart’s thoughts on the movie’s perceived racism. When asked if he was surprised by claims that the movie was racist, Hart decided to not answer that question, and instead talk about how shitty all the rest of his movies are.
Here’s the thing man, at the end of the day, a critic’s job is to critique. I don’t think I’ve done one project that’s gotten good critic reviews, not one. And if you feed into that as an actor or an actress, you’re in the wrong game. That’s their job. This is a comedy.Yes! Because the only people who could possibly find a premise racist are soulless critics who hate laughter and rainbows and butterflies. So don’t listen to the critics (or regular audience members, or anyone at all), Kevin Hart! You keep doing your shitty movies, and I’ll keep not seeing them. Deal? Deal.
Via HitFix.