7/10
Climbing His Way to the Top
15 July 2013
Kevin Hart is poised to become the next big comedy star walking the trail once blazed by Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock. He first made noticeable appearances on TV series, many of the spoof movies like Scary Movie 3 & 4, Epic Movie, Extreme Movie and other small movie roles, especially his most famous in a small hilarious piece in The 40 year Old Virgin where he plays a dissatisfied customer. He starred in his first movie as a lead, Soul Plane in (2004). Most recently he had a small cameo in Seth Rogen's This is the End. The fact that he was included in that movie which also featured other small uncredited cameos by a host of A-list actors, shows Hart is considered among the elite comic actors in Hollywood.

Unlike a lot of other comedians, Hart's style uses more imagination than observation. He sees things differently than other comedians and employs a very self-deprecating humor that other urban comedians would be too self-conscious to use. Especially other black comedians. He doesn't have to spend five minutes on race or excessive sex jokes to make his point. Though he does sometimes use the N-word, he doesn't use it as a crutch. One of his usual devices is his size. Hart is reportedly only 5'2". He also derives a lot of his humor from his experiences as a father with two young kids. All of these things makes him a comedian with broader appeal than the rest of his peers.

"Let Me Explain" is his fourth stand-up movie and fifth solo stand-up appearance if you include his "Comedy Central Presents" (2004) stand-up routine. After a filmed opening routine, Hart comes to the stage in Madison Square Garden for his first time. This shows he really has made a large impact in his field as the packed-house audience is filled with a large cross-section of people including celebrities in the front rows. Here he proceeds to talk about everything from his kids, bodyguards, homeless people, divorce, horse rides, etc.

Though not as funny as some of his earlier stand-ups, I still found it hilarious. Hart has the ability to bring you into his world, where other comedians simply make observations on everyday things. The prologue and epilogue bits also show Hart's ability as a comic actor and the love he gets from people in other cities and countries.
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