Fatherhood (2021), Kevin Hart, Melody Hurd, DeWanda Wise, Netflix
Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, DeWanda Wise and Lil Rel Howrey are the stars of director Paul Weitz’s new drama, Fatherhood.
Based on a true story, Fatherhood follows a father who has to raise his baby girl as a single dad, following the untimely death of his wife.
Ten words: ‘I did not see that coming, and I love it!’
I’m moved and so excited to watch Hart do well in this role; the kind of part that seems so perfect for him. Melody Hurd also seems great in the role of Hart’s character’s young daughter.
Paul Alexander Désiré, Rodney Alexandre, Christine Lan, Ryan S. Hill, John Iziomon, Ines Feghouli, Christopher Hayes, Julian Casey, Teneisha Collins, Holly Gauthier-Frankel, Rachel Mutombo also star.
New weekly talkshow The Netflix Afterparty is hosted by David Spade, Fortune Feimster and London Hughes. The focus is on conversations, skits and more with stars of the newest and biggest Netflix titles.
Some key guests include comedian Bill Burr, Kevin Hart and other stars such as Lily Collins, Anya Taylor Joy and many more.
I haven’t watched all the shows some of the guests appear in, so I mostly just want to find out how well this concept works, and hopefully feel as though I’m in fun company while watching.
It’s already clear that most of the guests are in shows that premiered weeks, if not months ago. Therefore, something tells me this concept may work better if the featured guests appeared during the week of or soon after a show’s premier. I could be wrong, of course. Will have to watch to find out. Fingers crossed it’s good/fun.
Jumanji – The Next Level (2019), Dwayne Johnson, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Jumanji – The Next Level, a comedy/adventure where four teenagers are sucked into Jumanji‘s world, the very place where they have to escape an endless variety of jungle traps and survive, is a movie almost as good as Jumanji – Welcome To The Jungle (2017).
There is a fair amount of newness in this second instalment to keep things interesting. Firstly, the characters are on a completely new level with new dangers, traps and puzzles. Then there’s the welcome addition of Danny DeVito and Danny Glover’s characters. Yet, even with all this newness and more, the main reason director Jake Kasdan’s latest didn’t come out in front for me is in large part because sequels just can’t be as ‘fresh, new and exciting’ as their predecessors.
I found the ending of the first movie/the solving of the final puzzle, a tad more satisfying and action-packed. That’s not to say that Kasdan’s film doesn’t feature some very well-choreographed action sequences of its own, because the scene with the mandrills and bridges is quite impressive.
In terms of the characters, DeVito as grandpa is the main highlight for me. Followed by the parts played by Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson, unsurprisingly. I just love their great chemistry, comic timing and fun dialogue. I also remember particularly appreciating Hart’s delivery of the below line, in Glover’s speaking voice and cadence.
‘Did I die – and turn into some kind of muscular Boy Scout?’
One more highlight is of course, the ‘special skill’ of the beautiful black horse.
Watch Jumanji – The Next Level because you’re curious and it’s good. Also, especially if you had fun watching 2017’s Jumanji movie.
Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black return for Jumanji – The Next Level, a sequel to 2017’s rather popular Jumanji – Welcome To The Jungle.
Directed by Jake Kasdan, this time when the friends are back in Jumanji, the team realise that things are quite different within the world’s most dangerous game.
This looks as though it’ll be fun. I like the twist and look forward to more of Hart speaking like Danny Glover.
Madison Iseman, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, Colin Hanks, Alex Wolff, Nick Jonas, Danny Glover, Ser’Darius Blain and Rhys Darby also star.
Right away, I want to confirm that The Intouchables (2011), the French film on which The Upsideis based, is absolutely better than this remake starring Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman.
Centred around the friendship that emerges between a wealthy paraplegic and an unemployed man with a criminal record. One who’s hired to help him, The Upside isn’t an exact copy of The Intouchables. Though some scenes are the same. There are a few more characters that were added, mainly the one played very well by Aja Naomi King.
I found that the best parts in director Neil Burger’s movie are the moments that weren’t too close to exact copies of scenes from the original. When compared, the original scenes always came out on top.
As for the performances, King was great in her role. Cranston, his super comic timing and Kidman are also undoubtedly very talented actors. Yet, even with all this seasoned talent, there’s no saving this movie from itself. It’s missing that special spark, all-round chemistry and flow that the original has.
I enjoyed some of the comic moments between Cranston and Hart’s characters (especially during the birthday party), but since The Upside is Hart’s first dramatic role, there’s definitely room for him to grow – and I look forward to seeing that progression in future performances.
On summary, watch The Upside if you really want to see for yourself how different it is from The Intouchables. Otherwise, it’s probably better to watch other great works by the talented cast.
