Will Ferrell’s new film Get Hard is underpinned by an uneasy homophobia that takes comedy back to a pre-bromance era
In the new Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, an appealing comic premise is established in a slick studio comedy manner, complete with trailer-ready sight gags and a radio-friendly pop soundtrack. Ferrell’s character, a disgraced investment banker, is heading to prison in 30 days and he enlists Hart’s struggling car-washer to help him prepare, leading to a variety of farcical situations. But reviews have been mostly toxic, with Variety calling out “some of the ugliest gay-panic humour to befoul a studio release in recent memory” and The Playlist labelling it “more offensive than just about anything we’ve seen lately.”
It’s a regrettable misfire as the stars are likable, their chemistry is strong and there’s an amusing initial attempt to challenge stereotypes (Ferrell wrongfully assumes Hart has done time because of his ignorant racial profiling) but as soon as prison prep begins, an alarming cloud arrives, throwing a dark, stifling shadow over the film. Ferrell’s pre-prison fears cover the threat of violence rather briskly while his reduced freedom is barely mentioned. But the overwhelmingly dominant phobia that takes over the film relates to his concerns over being raped on the inside.
Related: Hey bro, let it go: how the Frat Pack fell apart
Related: The Circle: why is gay cinema so fixated on the past?
Continue reading...
0 comments:
Post a Comment