Kevin Hart has risen from underground sensation to a mainstream comedian with a massively successful tour that rivals that of Eddie Murphy's conquering of the 80s. In the midst of his tour they decided to make a film out of it. I strongly believe that it wasn't originally planned at the start of the tour because of the way the film turned out. Yes it was funny but it was a very disorganized film that prevented itself from being one of the better stand-up films—even though it was leagues under classics like Eddie Murphy's Raw and Richard Pryor's Live on the Sunset Strip. A lot of disjointed moments limited the rate of laughs from the audience to a point that the ending became quite sour. However, this is a must-see for Kevin Hart fans. For others, you won't be converted to a fan from this material.
Laugh at My Pain consists of three acts: the first act being about Kevin Hart's tour of Philadelphia to the audience, the second act being his stand-up performance in Cali, and the final act being a random skit about robbing a bank. I did not make that up. Let's now talk about Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart's comedy comes at the style of Bernie Mac, not afraid of humiliating himself while telling a plethora of amusing (and sometimes exaggerated) stories about his upbringings and his lifestyle. He is one of the better modern-day comedians, but still lacks the variety, stamina, and the slick substance of Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle.
His stand-up here was definitely the best part of the movie, far more entertaining than the slightly egotistical but heartfelt intro in Philly, and much funnier than the awful skit that finishes the film. His stand-up routine isn't his best, but still delivers. He talks a lot about his dysfunctional family (including an excellent bit about his infamous uncle that's a staple in his comedy), his sex life and impending divorce, and about financial lifestyle. The one evolution you'll see here when compared to his past work is that he likes to run his jokes now, constantly repeating some of them throughout the bits. The audience I was watching the movie with was eating up this performance; they loved every second of it. Kevin Hart fans will not be disappointed.
And then there's the final third of the flick. Kevin Hart's stamina isn't as long as Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and not even the likes of Dane Cook. By stamina I mean length of his actual stand-up. While Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy (back in the day) can easily pull almost 2 hours of bits in one sitting, Hart doesn't have that ability----yet. And because of this, he had to throw in something extra so the movie doesn't feel like an extended television episode. The final skit however was absolute garbage. First off the audience Hart appeals to will most likely not catch the references to Tarantino and Michael Mann filmmaking. Second off, it broke the entire pace of the movie. Third off, t was unnecessary and just all-around not funny. I strongly suggest walking out after his stand-up part finished so you can walk away from the theater with a smile and not a frown.
Bottom Line: Kevin Hart would have delivered a better movie if he extended his comedy and not try to become a Chappelle (his show was a hilarious underground phenomenon) or Rock by providing a skit. Skits are leagues different from stand-up and unless you have a true grasp on how to time your humor in these things, you are better off not performing any of them. Kevin hart's brand of humor is conventional, not too edgy or underground (like George Carlin) and will appeal to most audiences as long as you can tolerate the language. But if you are expecting a stand-up comedy classic like those we saw in the 70s and 80s, then you will be disappointed. This film isn't a game-changer, but will entertain plenty, especially in the middle bulk.
