True Story: The Day Kevin Hart Stopped Joking and Started a Headache!

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When the True Story series dropped on Netflix recently, my first thought was, “Oh, another Kevin Hart comedy? Bet he’s gonna trip and fall into a situation that gets more and more ridiculous, but in a funny way.” LOL! Kevin is a master of comedy, a one-man joke factory who has made a career of being the charming, energetic sidekick or the flustered, pint-sized hero. So when I started watching this drama on Netflix, I thought, "Okay, this is going to be a little dramatic, a little seriousness to the scenes before the jokes start", but no, I was wrong!

The true story is not a comedy, but rather a completely gripping, serious, and extremely dark thriller that will make you question everything you know about Kevin Hart, and maybe even how to properly dispose of a dead body. (Disclaimer: Please do not take this as legal or practical advice. This is a joke. Or is it? You'll have to watch the show to find out how complicated the story is.) The series takes us into the life of a highly successful stand-up comedian and actor named "The Kid", this is the character played by Kevin and at times in the story, it feels like this is actually a true story and that too of Kevin.

The plot is pretty simple: The Kid is on a comedy tour in his hometown of Philadelphia, where he's basking in the glow of a billion-dollar superhero movie deal. But his success and happiness are overshadowed by his older, spoiled brother Carlton, played with a fierce intensity by Wesley Snipes. After a night of partying that starts things off the rails, The Kid finds himself in a hotel room with a dead woman. From there, the show becomes a masterclass in how not to handle a crisis like this. A little spoiler, I had a strong feeling from the night of the party that The Kid's brother was the one framing it.

Well, instead of calling the police or even a lawyer after being in a hotel room with a dead woman, the two brothers panic. This is where the humour, or at least the dark irony, comes in. You're watching these two grown men, one a superstar and the other a walking burden, make a series of ridiculous decisions that turn into a full-blown crime saga that involves goons, blackmail, and a fanbase and overly devoted supporters, most notably Kid's team members, including his manager and bodyguard. Although he does do something very strange at the end of the series, Kid probably wanted the same thing because if he had shared everything with his bodyguard at the beginning, the problems would have been a lot less.

Let's talk about the performances, because this is where this series really shines. Kevin Hart completely breaks out of his comedic roots and proves himself capable of a completely different kind of role. He has a knack for the dramatic, and the audience knows that very well. In this series, you will see a side of him that you have never seen before: not the funny, restless guy who screams his way out of a difficult situation, but a man who is genuinely scared that all the fame, money and love he has earned over the years will be lost. It's not just a pretence of being scared; you can feel the fear, the desperation and the inner struggle of a man whose hard-earned life is falling apart with every bad decision he makes. But apart from Kid, the other actors in this series also give strong performances, such as Kid's brother, his manager, bodyguard, a die-hard obsessive fan and the villains. You don’t watch this series to find out what happens next; you watch to see how the characters react, and what new and terrible decisions they will make that will dig themselves into an even deeper hole.

Ultimately, True Story is a thrilling ride. It's a strong statement from Kevin Hart that he's not just a comedian, but a serious actor as well. Those who, like me, came in expecting to see Kevin's comedy will be pleasantly surprised by this thriller. It's a show that forces you to confront the dark side of fame and family, while reminding you that sometimes, a "true story" is something else altogether.

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Note:

English is not my first language. So sometimes I use 'Google Translate'. Please don't think that anything I have written in this blog has been copied from somewhere or is AI-generated.
The thumbnail and other photos are screenshots from Netflix.
All the other content, images and words are mine unless otherwise stated.