Kevin Hart e Chris Rock: Só os Headliners

As much as it may seem like a little behind-the-scenes documentary of two successful entertainers (and comedians) doing a tour of major venues in NY including MSG, I like how a major portion of it is also dedicated to the respective journeys of Chris Rock and Kevin Hart. These guys share a wonderful camaraderie - we see that primarily at the dinner table, seriously talking about their adoration and admiration for each other, and upholding their decision to headline a series of shows together.

Netflix usually does a pretty good job at editing and putting these together; here too, the director Rashidi Natara Harper goes for a mix of candid, on-stage & off-stage reactions alongside actual sitdown interviews. We also get to hear from some of the other GOATs in the business of comedy. Plus, the soundtrack is great. At 1h 22m, this is a breezy, enjoyable watch indeed!

Now I understand that me being British maybe I just don't get the whole "listen to me talk about how great I am" culture in the USA!? But I found this to be a little too over cringey! Ok so I'm a fan of both Rock & Hart, I've seen both of them do stand up during their tours in England and I loved them both..... I'm not a "hater" and I really do think they're both deservedly two of the biggest comedians / comedy actors in the world right now!....... BUT.... This just isn't something I feel ever needed to be made! I enjoy Documentaries and having a reputable journalist create a Biography is often really enjoyable to watch / read if done the right way, you shouldn't however make a Documentary on yourselves which seems exactly what these guys did here. It's basically an hour of Chris and Kev talking about how great they both are, inserting snippets of friends talking about how great they both are and how they're both only getting more great every day! As an American I understand this might be your cup of tea! As a Brit myself it made me almost throw up in my mouth it's so self serving and ego driven! We get it guys you're both super successful!? But next time let the fans tell you how much they love you instead of you telling them how much they're supposed to love you!

For me it's the excitement of Kevin Hart. He's like a kid the whole time excited like it's Christmas Eve. Chris Rock is steady, confident, classy! The growth and professionalism of this man is remarkable! Then they moved Dave Chapel to show up! The look in his eyes when he said "These my dudes". I was touched! I got my feels! I loved it. I appreciate the roses given, the come backs, the excitement! It's lovely to see how these men are serious and professional, that they love each other! The stories of how they helped other people is wonderful. It's a wonderful life for these entrepreneurs and entertainers!

So this is a behind-the-scenes view, taken I think on the two recent stand-up specials from both gents. Honestly we haven't finished watching this, and not sure we will. The music and footage/editing have a vibrant feel but the material itself is not too scintillating or revelatory. And I just read a review about the goat ending, and um yeah that feels like Hart in creative control.

Chris Rock's special was a pretty amazing rhetorical study of a calculated response to a quick horrible impulsive moment. Hell even Chappelle's recent special was largely a recoil to the damn slap. I'm still kind of amazed that Will Smith has not just been flat out renounced by everyone, although I know Chappelle tried to be an ambassador there.

Anyways that was not covered in here from what I've seen. My take from this is that Chris Rock is a genuinely funny dude (and I liked the insights from his brother on Chris), while Kevin Hart is a hard-working businessman.. We also watched the recent Hart special a while back, and it just felt safe to me, and his reaction to his own bits kind of overwhelms and overtakes the viewer before s/he even gets a chance.

His on-stage persona takes a lot of air out of the room, even if it's the Madison Square Garden.

I know Hart walked out with a baseball bat for his recent stand-up tee ball, so extending the metaphir it's like Hart beats out infield singles on effort, while Chris (not exactly subtle in his own reactions) is more able to check-swing an opposite field home run now and then.

Maybe this movie was a payback by the somehow now mega-star Hart to his mentor. Stuff about their meeting in comedy clubs was the most interesting part. Hart being a respectful dude and savvy businessman, he keeps the focus on goat gloating and away from poking any elephants.

As such I think this works best for folks who truly are Hart fans independent of what they think about Chris Rock, and not vice versa.