For as long as I can remember I have always been a fan of Kevin Hart. What’s not to like about the short, full of energy comedian that isn’t afraid to make jokes that walk the line of political correctness? Before watching his recent nearly hour-long stand-up comedy special, I took some time to remember some of Hart’s biggest public news recently. He was asked to host the 2019 Oscars but ended up declining to host after public backlash due to homophobic tweets from his past. He also had a much more light hearted appearance in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” where he starred with Dwayne Johnson. After experiencing his Oscar firestorm and seeing his absolutely hilarious appearance in ‘Jumanji’ I was so excited to see what Netflix’s new standup special “Kevin Hart: Zero F**ks Given” would be like. 

The first thing I love about this special is it’s true standup, it’s not Hart standing in an empty room with aZoom audience-Hart has an actual audience laughing at his jokes, not something we would expect in our Zoom dominated society. This site of a real socially distanced and masked audience that produces real laughter is something that is truly heart-warming in a pandemic that has stripped normalcy away from everything, even TV. That’s part of why this special is so funny. Hart is able to interact with the crowd just like he would in normal time.

Now we get to the good stuff, the humor. Contrary to what I was expecting, Hart used way more politically incorrect humor than I thought his public relations team would want him to. For example, Hart made a joke about people with one arm not being able to cancel him because they can’t hold a sign to protest him. The best part of that scene is that Hart admits that they should probably edit that joke out, but then says he doesn’t care. This is the exact kind of comedy Hart shouldn’t be afraid of joking about or have fear of being canceled for it. The title of the special completely sums up his set; this is a statement from Hart that going forward he’s going to speak his mind even if they threaten to cancel him. 

Lastly, Hart’s unique ability to take real life interactions and make them into die-out laughing comedy skits is unparalleled. Although this is a trait that all standup comedians need, it is something that Hart is able to do unlike any other. Hart’s short height, funny voice, goofy persona and stellar storytelling abilities make one thing clear-he is one of the best comedians of our age. This new stand-up special is the rebirth of a comedian who had been canceled by the politically correct hall monitors and a declaration by Hart that his jokes will no longer be dictated by these people.

“Kevin Hart: Zero F**ks Given”

★★★★★