Get Hard

An investment banker (Will Ferrell), framed for embezzlement and headed to prison, hires a casual acquaintance (Kevin Hart) to prepare him for life in the joint—after all, if the guy's black, he's obviously been in prison, right? Hart's character, needing the money for his daughter's private school, plays along. The premise is dumb, the writing slapdash, leaning heavily on voice-over narration at the ending, a tell-tale sign of sloppiness by writers Jay Martel, Ian Roberts and director Etan Cohen. Cohen's direction, meanwhile, matches his writing. Still, there are some good laughs here and there. Ferrell gets top billing, and his remaining fans will be satisfied, but his shtick is getting pretty stale; Hart carries him much of the way here, including a hilarious three-way riff on prison stereotypes. J.L.