Is “Get Hard” Racist And Homophobic?
The true test for a comedy: did you laugh? And maybe I’ll laugh at “Get Hard,” the new movie starring Will Farrell and Kevin Hart, although I would never spend money to see it. But this aspect of the flick, as reported by Variety, does worry me: ‘“Get Hard†may be the most high-profile comedy ever made about the subject of prison rape. Ferrell plays an L.A. millionaire who’s arrested on embezzlement charges, so he enlists the help of the man that washes his car (Hart), whom he mistakes for a former convict, to help him toughen up and avoid being raped in jail. What follows is a string of envelope-pushing gags, including a scene where Hart impersonates a Hispanic prisoner named Carlos and rattles off a list of racial stereotypes. In another one of the film’s more controversial moments, Ferrell turns to a white supremacist organization — called the Alliance of Whites — for protection (“I’m a big-time racist,†Ferrell says). That exchange takes place after Hart orders Ferrell to use a racial slur. “Call me the N-word,†Hart says, and he tricks Ferrell to say it by mistake.
The film is just as callous when it comes to gay jokes. As part of his prison-prep routine, Ferrell decides to try to perform oral sex on a guy, and he takes an older gentleman into a bathroom stall. “I’m going to suck your d–,†Ferrell says, but he’s so disgusted by the thought, the scene will feel homophobic to some viewers. Another running joke has Ferrell shove objects up his anus.
