Irresponsible

Kevin Hart takes the stage at London’s O2 Arena with the defensive crouch of a man who knows his personal life has recently been all over the tabloids. Coming off a highly publicized extramarital extortion scandal, Hart frames the hour around his own poor decision-making, trading his usual triumph-of-will swagger for self-deprecation about his failures as a husband and parent.

Filmed during his massive 2018 world tour, the set eschews the cinematic, high-concept intros of his previous stadium specials. Instead, Hart walks out to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Humble’ and gets straight to work on a 360-degree stage in front of 15,000 fans. The material leans heavily into domestic life. He recounts the panic of a home burglary where his guard dog hid from the intruders, prompting him to buy nine guns and scatter them in secret compartments around his house. He also tackles the pressure of his second marriage, explaining that his current relationship simply has to work because he cannot afford to start over again.

Other bits find him on a ski trip in Aspen where he runs into the singer Seal, and panicking on a slow-moving tram in Japan because he mistook it for a high-speed roller coaster. Critical reception was somewhat mixed, with reviewers noting that the transitions between his domestic anecdotes can feel rushed, occasionally leaving stories hanging. Still, the massive arena crowd responded to the physical performance, particularly when Hart mimics the slow, halting movements of an elderly parent.