Seriously Funny
Comedy Central · 2010 · 72 min
Kevin Hart cranks up the volume in his breakout second hour.
Kevin Hart’s second hour locks into the frantic, hyper-animated rhythm that would define the rest of his career. Filmed at the Allen Theater in Cleveland, the 2010 set relies heavily on aggressive family storytelling and physical mimicry. This is the hour that introduced “Say it with your chest”—a phrase that immediately entered the cultural lexicon, courtesy of a bit about his freshly paroled Uncle Richard Jr. threatening him with incomprehensible jail slang.
Hart works with relentless forward momentum throughout the set. He acts out an elaborate fantasy of cussing out his childhood teacher, drops a dead-on physical impression of Shaquille O’Neal falling over on the basketball court, and breaks down the absurdities of parenting. Those domestic stories include catching his son sleeping standing up and finding out his daughter pushed a playmate off a bunk bed.
Released on Comedy Central, the performance was a commercial hit. The resulting DVD went triple platinum, setting the stage for his record-breaking arena tours. The hour catches Hart right on the precipice of global fame, taking the self-deprecating foundation of his debut and cranking the volume to the absolute maximum.
The set list
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Relaying his mother's vulgar message to his schoolteacher after getting a note pinned to his chest.
Hart shifts into his grade-school self and adopts the angry persona of his mother Nancy Hart, escalating the conflict into an explosion of classroom invective.
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Watching his father get beaten up.
Hart candidly and hilariously recounts coming to terms with his family's lack of toughness.
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How to properly storm out of a domestic argument.
An extended sequence demonstrating the exact technique and challenges of storming out during an argument with your partner.
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Imitating Shaquille O'Neal falling down.
Playfully calling out audience members LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal, followed by an exaggerated physical impersonation of O'Neal falling on the basketball court.
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His thug, ex-con uncle.
Hart employs animated physical comedy and switches into character to mimic how thugs speak and behave.
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The closer (spoiler). Show it
His dynamic with his road manager.
Physical comedy-driven routine detailing his working and interpersonal relationship with his road manager.
How it plays
- Tone
- Irreverent, relatable, mildly profane, and autobiographical.
- On stage
- Fast-talking, charismatic, and highly approachable with sassy charm and brutal honesty.
- Pace
- High-energy, physically expressive, and skilled at modulating stories to build suspense before explosive punchlines.
- About
- parenting and children, marriage and relationships, childhood memories and family, lack of toughness, domestic arguments
What the critics said
Praised for Hart's exceptional character act-outs, relatable domestic storytelling, and physical comedic talent, though some critics felt certain relationship routines were standard and that unedited profanity could be inconsistent.
In the room: A sold-out, high-energy theater crowd including celebrity athletes LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal interacting with Hart.
Backstory
Drawing from his Philadelphia upbringing, marriage, and fatherhood of two; filmed before a sold-out audience in Cleveland that included NBA stars LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal.
Details
- Released
- Taped
- Allen Theater, Cleveland
- Runtime
- 72 min
- Where
- Comedy Central
- Director
- Shannon Hartman
- Honors
- Voted the top comedian of 2009 by Humor Mill Magazine
- Topics
- Before
- I'm a Grown Little Man (2009)
- After
- Laugh at My Pain (2011)
More from Kevin Hart
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The Roast of Kevin Hart
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Acting My Age
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-
Reality Check
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Zero F**ks Given
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Irresponsible
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