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Cover image credit: Promotional image via Prime Video

Reality Check

Kevin Hart

Peacock · 2023 · 58 min

Kevin Hart returns to the Las Vegas stage with big physical comedy.

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Kevin Hart walks on stage carrying a baseball bat to ward off potential attackers, a nod to the era of stage-rushing that followed the pandemic. It is a theatrical opening for an arena-sized return, but the actual core of the performance is much smaller, relying on the high-energy self-deprecation that built his career. One of his strongest sequences tackles the modern trend of cosmetic leg-lengthening surgery, where he visualizes himself at six-foot-six with his original short arms and size-seven sneakers—looking like a T-Rex that cannot reach its pockets.

The special, filmed at Resorts World in Las Vegas, premiered on Peacock in July 2023. It marked Hart’s return to large-scale arena stand-up after his 2020 pandemic special was restricted to a small crowd in his home. By 2023, Hart was firmly entrenched in his role as a Hollywood media mogul, making the return to live, unedited performance feel like a deliberate effort to reconnect with his stand-up roots.

The material relies heavily on his signature physical act-outs and loud overreactions. He targets his own cowardice during a Black Lives Matter rally, a friend smuggling weed on a flight to Mexico, and his impatience with unattractive people. While critics noted the material occasionally stays on the surface, the hour benefits from his undeniable crowd-work instincts and theatrical timing, playing much better to a booming room than his previous, more isolated efforts.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Plastic surgery and Brazilian Butt Lifts

    Compares an ant up close to a Brazilian Butt Lift and acts out how absurd he would look undergoing surgery to become taller.

  2. Late father's mean nicknames

    Pays tribute to his father, who died from COPD, by recalling the cruel yet funny nicknames his dad bestowed upon relatives.

  3. Drinking at age 43 and 'Weekend at Bernie's'

    Details how he cannot hold his alcohol anymore and claims his friends drag him like 'Weekend at Bernie's' to clubs just to use his face to gain entry.

  4. Wife's insults and Gollum comparison

    Discusses ego deflation when his wife compares him to Gollum and shares unflattering fan art on giant screens.

  5. Attending George Floyd's memorial BLM protest

    Reflects on feeling out of place among other celebrities at the memorial and how his personal privilege clashed with his desire to protest.

  6. Coffee shop poop-throwing viral video

    Recounts a viral clip of someone throwing feces in a coffee shop and imagines being an innocent morning bystander caught in it.

How it plays

Tone
Candid, self-deprecating, and energetic.
On stage
Affable, energetic, and self-mocking; puts himself in awkward situations where he has to squirm and talk his way out.
Pace
High-energy delivery described as being like a kid running on a sugar rush, with deliberate set pacing.
About
plastic surgery, late father and family, fame and Black Twitter, aging and drinking, activism and Black Lives Matter protest, friendships

What the critics said

Critics praised Hart's enduring energy, affability, and consistency, though noted some topical references felt slightly dated and pointed out the distracting presence of an apparent laugh track in the edit.

In the room: Sold-out crowd that shifted from boisterous laughter to somber reflection during his discussion of the Black Lives Matter protest.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: tv.apple.com, allmovie.com, rottentomatoes.com, decider.com, dmtalkies.com, theguardian.com, themoviedb.org, imdb.com, pro.imdb.com.

Backstory

Hart's first special since the COVID-19 pandemic and following the death of his father from COPD; marks his departure from Netflix to NBCUniversal's Peacock.

Details

Released
Taped
Resorts World, Las Vegas
Runtime
58 min
Where
Peacock
Director
Leslie Small
Honors
1 nomination
Topics
Before
Zero F**ks Given (2020)
After
Acting My Age (2025)

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