Get Hard

Get Hard is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Etan Cohen (in his directorial debut) and written by Cohen, Jay Martel and Ian Roberts. The film stars Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Tip 'T.I.' Harris, Alison Brie, and Craig T. Nelson. James King, a wealthy investment bank manager (Ferrell) is framed for a crime he didn't commit, and asks the man who washes his car, Darnell Lewis (Hart) to help him prepare for prison.
The film was released March 27, 2015 to negative reviews. It grossed a worldwide total of $111.7 million.
Plot.
James King (Will Ferrell) is an extremely wealthy hedge fund manager at Barrow Funds, engaged to Alissa (Alison Brie), daughter of his boss Martin Barrow (Craig T. Nelson). During an engagement party for James and Alissa, the FBI arrive and arrest James for fraud and embezzlement. James' lawyer, Peter Penny (Greg Germann), urges him to plead guilty for a likely shorter sentence, but James refuses under the belief that he will be exonerated. James is found guilty and subsequently sentenced to ten years in San Quentin State Prison, with the judge (Elliot Grey) allowing him 30 days to get his affairs in order. On top of this, Alissa leaves James after he suggests the two flee the country together.
Over time, James has come to know Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart), who operates a small car wash business in the parking lot used by James. Shortly after his arrest, James encounters Darnell and, assuming he has been incarcerated before because he is black, begs him for help, requesting to be "toughened up". Darnell, who in actuality has never been to prison and has little experience in fighting, agrees, on the condition James pays him $30,000; Darnell sees it as an opportunity for him and his wife Rita (Edwina Findley) to finally put their daughter Makayla (Ariana Neal) in a better school, away from the bad neighborhood they live in.
Darnell's training, which includes pepper-spraying James, re-modelling his house to resemble a maximum security prison and creating multiple scenarios in which he must defend himself, all fail miserably. During the training, James gets in touch with Martin to tell him about his search for help. Barrow, the actual crook, believes James is onto him and orders a hitman named Gayle (Paul Ben-Victor) to monitor him.
With James' training seemingly going nowhere, Darnell suggests that James should prepare in other ways for prison, and takes him to a gay hookup spot to teach James how to perform oral sex in prison. James can't go through with it and instead tells Darnell that he will keep going and do whatever it takes in order to "get hard". James soon after begins to work out harder and faster, makes shivs, learns "keistering" (smuggling contraband in the anus), and seems to be making progress. Darnell simulates a prison raid with help from James' domestic staff. In the chaos, James gets a shiv stuck in his head, after which, Darnell brings James to his home for Rita to treat it. James has dinner with Darnell's family and listens to the tale of how he ended up in prison, which is actually just a retelling of the movie "Boyz n the Hood".
James and Darnell resolve for James to join a local gang called the Crenshaw Kings to gain protection in prison. However, Darnell's cousin and gang leader Russell (T.I.) rebuffs James and redirects him to the Alliance of Whites gang. James is unable to portray a convincing racist, leading the gang to think he is a cop; they threaten to attack James, but Darnell rescues him by bursting in with a flamethrower.
Eventually, Darnell and James finally deduce that Martin is the crook, and the reason James is going to prison. They sneak into his office and find the embezzlement records on Martin's computer. Before they can expose him, Gayle finds them and takes back the computer, informing James that Darnell is not who he thinks is and has never been in prison. Dejected and upset that Darnell lied to him, James returns to the Crenshaw Kings on his own, asking to join. They accept him as one of their own and order him to kill someone as his initiation. Before he can do so, Darnell arrives in time to convince James to expose Martin.
The two sneak onto Martin's yacht to retrieve the computer, only to come across Gayle and his men. James unleashes a series of capoeira moves on them before Martin and Alissa arrive, both confessing to the fraud and embezzlement, a scheme that also included Peter. They try to convince James to run away with them, but he turns them down and heads to a life raft with Darnell. When Gayle shoots the life raft, James pulls out a gun he had "keistered" and aims it at Gayle. U.S. Marshals suddenly appear, summoned by the ankle monitor that James triggered, having trespassed the county line.
Barrow's computer provides the evidence needed to clear James. Martin, Gayle, Alissa, and the henchmen are all arrested and James is exonerated. However, he still ends up getting six months for holding an unlicensed gun, but thanks to Darnell's training, James is fully prepared for his stint in prison. Martin is not, as he is quickly attacked by inmates when his San Quentin sentence with Peter begins. James spends his sentence helping the FBI retrieve all the assets that Martin stole, while guiding Darnell's investments so that he and Rita are able to open their own carwash. As Darnell drives James home after his release, James announces his intent to celebrate his freedom with a "Wall Street Journal" and a forty, which he now considers a perfect Sunday.
Production.
On December 7, 2012, it was announced that Warner Bros. was in talks to acquire the film written by Ian Roberts and Jay Martel, while Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's Gary Sanchez Productions would produce. On September 17, 2013 Etan Cohen was set to direct. On February 24, 2014, Warner Bros set the film for a March 27, 2015 release.
On December 7, 2012, Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart were attached to starring roles. On February 26, 2014, it was announced Craig T. Nelson had joined the cast to play Martin Barrow, the founder of Barrow Funds (Ferrell's character's boss) and also the father of Ferrell's character's fiancée. On March 17, 2014 Alison Brie signed on to star, playing the fiancée of Ferrell's character. On March 21, 2014, Edwina Findley joined the cast to play Rita Hudson, wife to Hart's character. On March 24, 2014 Dan Bakkedahl joined the cast to play Rick, Ferrell's hated enemy at their office. On March 25, 2014, T.I. joined the cast, playing a character named Russell, Hart's character's streetwise cousin.
Principal photography began on March 17, 2014 in New Orleans, and ended on May 14, 2014. The film was somewhat controversial with some perceiving that it was playing into race-related stereotypes. During some scenes Cohen asked Hart's opinion on how some jokes would be perceived by African American audiences and made some changes accordingly. Warner Brothers and Cohen also performed extensive testing to make sure the humor came across well.
Music.
On October 30, 2014, Christophe Beck was hired to compose the music for the film.
Release.
The film was released by Warner Bros. on March 27, 2015.
Box office.
"Get Hard" grossed $90.4 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $21.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $111.7 million against a budget of $40 million. (Other reports put the budget at $44 million. The film also received $12.3 million in tax incentives for filming in Louisiana.)
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $33.8 million, coming in second place at the box office behind "Home" ($52.1 million). It was Ferrell's third-highest opening for a live-action film, behind "" ($47 million) and "The Other Guys" ($35.5 million), and was passed the following December by "Daddy's Home" ($38.7 million).
Critical response.
"Get Hard" has received generally negative reviews, with many critics citing the film's overuse of racial jokes. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 28% based on 182 reviews, with an average rating of 4.27/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A waste of two fine funnymen, "Get Hard" settles for tired and offensive gags instead of tapping into its premise's boundary-pushing potential." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 34 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend recorded that audiences gave "Get Hard" an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. 
Richard Corliss of "Time magazine" wrote: "Laughter trumps political fairness, and "Get Hard" made me laugh at, and with, situations I hadn’t thought could tickle me. The movie has a warm heart beating under its seemingly scabrous shell."
The film was criticized for its gay panic jokes and homophobia.