Road Hard

' ' ' Yeah! One of the few movies I've had laugh-out-loud moments in, for years.

Carolla really nails the mid-life crisis moments of a career gone off the rails, slowly, inexorably, unexplainably, or really never having one, as one turns the corner in life to realize it ain't gonna happen. Every man will recognise Carolla's character, sack-kicks, the humiliation and smile to themselves.

The smoking/credit card scene is worth the price of admission.

They don't make movies like this anymore—Although they just did, eh?—as it's just a decent story, with good character development.

John Candy used do flicks like this, that didn't do box-office boffo, but were just good little flicks.

I think this'll do a lot better in rotation, than it did in the theatres.

It's for a different audience than your action-oriented fan but well worth the time.

SweetDoug

Adam Carolla co-wrote, co-directed and stars as Bruce Madsen. A comedian who made it big with a hit sitcom but since it ended, he is back on the road playing small clubs while his former partner is a successful talk show host.

Bruce lives in the garage of his former marital home. His ex wife does not like him being in her house even to visit their adopted daughter who is looking to go to college. Bruce is happy in the garage, he spent more time there when he was married doing woodwork.

Bruce is funny, his humour is acerbic. Bruce knows this and he sees himself as being funnier than a lot of comedians that are on television. However as his very successful ex comedy partner Jack Taylor (Jay Mohr) reminds him that Bruce did not play the game to stay at the top. Being funny is not enough to sustain a showbiz career.

Road Hard is a bittersweet comedy looking at life of a comedian who is past his prime. It actually is funny in a low key way. Obviously Carolla has seen guys like Bruce or he might even be Bruce himself. However Carolla is not a strong enough actor here, his character comes across as one note. It is also hard to sympathise with his character. Bruce's agent (Larry Miller) and friends are correct that if only he kissed some butt and played the game, he would be more successful.

A few years ago, Adam Carolla starred in a great little movie called "The Hammer" and as I recalled it, he was this nice underdog boxer that you'd just want to root for even though part of you is saying that he probably didn't stand a chance. Now, Carolla has come back from his years of doing his usual podcast or radio personality gig, to deliver us yet another movie, marking his directorial debut, "Road Hard" and it has that same charm again, he plays a comedian whose world around him seems to come spiraling down when his movie and sitcom career has run dry, he's doing his best to hold his head above water and you want so badly to root for the guy to make a comeback but part of you is wondering if he'd stand a chance. And that same charm is what makes ROAD HARD another great little movie in my book.

Adam Carolla co-directed, co-scripted and starred in this comedy that's more or less inspired by his own experiences as a stand up comedian. Carol has had a great career but his character in this film, Bruce, hits a point in his life asking what the hell is he still doing out on the road while all of his other comedian friends seem to be getting good gigs either on TV or in movies. His old teammate now has his own talk show but Bruce has to keep traveling from one hotel room to the next. He's divorced and struggling to provide for his daughter who loves him. ROAD HARD really is mid-life crisis seen through the eyes of Adam Carolla and his writing partner, Kevin Hench. They pretty much did all they could to create this very miserable character, you can't hit a lower rock bottom than the one Bruce is experiencing, but as they say, when you're at the bottom, the only way to go is up and I think Carolla and Hench did a good job of slowly but surely constructing that light at the end of the tunnel again for Bruce, by letting the character prioritize first, listing things that matter to him in his life, before the hopeful conclusion.

I think ROAD HARD is fascinating in that it gives you a non-glamorous picture of the life of a comedian, it's not all laughs and giggles, you would think that because they're funny on stage, they could easily just brush off their day-to-day problems with a couple of jokes but they're just as doubtful and as frustrated, sometimes furious, as the rest of us. ROAD HARD is funny but also surprisingly heartwarming.

I don't think that this is a movie that kicks you when you're down, if anything, I think the level of misery is just the right amount for the audience and the character Bruce himself to see angles and openings either around the corner or ahead of you. And once again, Carolla brings that approachable sense to his character, something that I think Carolla doesn't have to try too hard to exude, because he's the kind of guy who may at first seem like you wouldn't want to gamble on him or take a chance on him, but if you do, it pays off.

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Wow, what a surprise. Wasn't expecting much from this film tonight. Got a free AMAZON PRIME subscription and decided to check out some films this week. Tonight was "Road Hard". I thought, if it sucks i can flip it off after 10 minutes, no hassle - just find another. But after an hour I was still engaged. I'm not engaged easily.

First and foremost, this is a very well written movie. The dialog is honest, true - and funny. That's a hard combination to do and do well. Perhaps it's because I'm a middle aged man searching for all the same answers Bruce Madsen was, or just simply appreciated the honesty in the script, acting and dialog. Whoever cast this film should get a huge pat on the back. You know some films where your 10 minutes in and think "who the hell cast this thing, none of these actors have chemistry or remotely fit their characters!!!". Been there, done that. Not here. No way. This is perfection. Yes, there are several well known actors in this film, but several that aren't - and EVERYONE does a fantastic job. The story flows like a river knowing where it's going - and the actors tug at your heart frequently.

It's films like this that re-instill my faith in Hollywood. That make me more willing to take a chance on a film, even though a major, proved actor isn't a part of it. This film is so much better than so many other films I've seen this year with a budget much larger. What a gem. What a diamond in the rough. Don't hesitate, watch this. You won't be sorry!

Unlike many here, I had never heard of Adam Carolla before I happened on this movie.

I liked it. Yeah, it's a little formula. But it does the formula well. Would it have worked as a big-budget Hollywood rom-com? Who cares? The home movie feel of it is a character in its own right. The performances are all good, the main plot is brilliant (stand-up who's so-so on-stage but hilarious in real life; good set-up for a portrait of a guy busting his head to make it in show-biz), and Howie Mandel kills as himself in a bit part that's simultaneously reality-TV immediate and probably not him at all.

Bottom line: this guy did good with what he had. It's watchable. You'll wish the character well. You'll understand his predicament. You'll be glad you rode along on his roller-coaster.