Seriously Funny

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.