Irresponsibly Just-Above-Average
Following the success of his recent comedy films and other stand-up specials, Kevin Hart returns to Netflix for his latest hour of stand-up, Irresponsible. While some of the jokes have good timing and a few of the scenarios are really well written, the interspersed moments of Kevin laughing and repeated, accentuated punchlines hold this back from being a better title. After a brief introduction, Irresponsible begins right in the heart of the drama, and more specifically, Kevin Hart’s bedroom. After riffing about various sexual positions and advising us he’s done several irresponsible acts this year, Kevin goes on to discuss the trials and tribulations of parenthood. From disciplining your kids to a surprisingly well written segment involving “The Great Baby”, the middle portion of this stand-up certainly feels the most natural, with a good flurry of jokes and punch lines nestled around jokes about relationship issues. Irresponsible almost exclusively follows these two topics for almost all of its run-time, stopping momentarily to address the audience around recent personal drama – including setting the record straight on his marriages. Personally, this segment feels a little ill-timed and offsets the pacing of the show, especially given its placement in the set. Visually, the show looks great and the square stage encircled by people is certainly a unique idea. There’s a certain artistry to the set design although personally I’m not sure it would really work if you saw it live, especially if you were seated behind Kevin. Still, there’s enough variety with the camera angles and bites of audio that for us at home at least, Irresponsible is certainly an aesthetically pleasing stand-up. Of course, all the usual trademark Kevin Hart humour is here, including the crude jokes, swearing and wide-eyed stares into the camera that make up the core of his stand-up punchlines. While it isn’t as good as his other stand-up shows, there’s enough here to enjoy if you go in with an open mind. However, those expecting Kevin Hart to deliver an incredible stand-up routine may be left disappointed with this one.
