Kevin Hart and Chris Rock as the only headliners Cast: Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, who makes many cameos alongside Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jay-Z.
Author: Harper, Rashidi Natara
Netflix is the streaming service.
Spoken: English
Running time: sixty-two minutes
Kevin Hart and Chris Rock as the only headliners Review What It Concerns:
Kevin Hart and Chris Rock as the only headliners: The Netflix-style documentary chronicling the ascent of two comedy icons is summed up by Kevin himself as follows: “This is a story about two separate journeys that somehow align and end up at the same intersection at the top.” Not only does Chris Rock close the show with the wise words “I’m ready to go to Hall Of Fame, but I’m still playing, and I’m good,” but he also makes a pointed jab at Drake and Jay-Z within the first ten minutes, emphasizing how he’s passing on the legacy to Kev. As the co-headliners of a tour that stops at four important places around the country, the documentary chronicles the difficult ascent of both comedians of color.
What Works?
What functions well is what ought to function well in any documentary featuring a star who has overcome adversity to become wealthy. With the opening line, “He never turned out to be the Eddie Murphy we thought he’s going to be,” Chris Rock tells the tale of how he’s everything Eddie Murphy told him the day he met him and sails through his brother Tony Rock. It eloquently illustrates the rollercoaster trip Chris took from his terrible SNL stint to his soaring comeback with HBO’s Big Ass Jokes, as his brother compared his journey to watching a real-life Rocky movie.
Bringing Chris and Kevin together and telling how Eddie was a mentor to the former and the latter saying, “Your Eddie story is you for me,” works as well since it captures their dynamic so well. Rashidi Natara Harper’s work experience on “Hip Hop Uncovered” also helps to add some high-energy tracks, such as “Daytona 500” by Ghostface Killah, “Legacy” by Coast Contra, “Roc Boys” by Jay-Z, and “LUMBERJACK” by Tyler, the Creator. The documentary concludes with the highly underappreciated song “People Under the Stairs” by Mac Miller.
What Is Ineffective?
Is the humor missing? Yes, it may depend on your expectations going into this one-and-a-half-hour documentary featuring two of the best comedians now working. Even so, I anticipated some lighthearted storytelling about their personal hardships. I received the standard color-watermelon joke instead, along with some hilarious advice from Rock about eating before meetings and a hilarious GOAT gag at the end about calling a goat Will Smith. They tend to forget that Hart and Rock are the comedians they are discussing because they place so much emphasis on the dramatic aspects of their lives.
Final Thoughts:
All things considered, other from the forced but entertaining Will Smith allusions, this is just another Netflix-style documentary that follows the ascent, decline, and return of two of the most well-known comedians of our day, after Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Michelle Obama.
