Me Time Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

Not funny, absolutely boring, uninspired & unoriginal. “Kevin Hart Show” the second on Netflix & it is not getting any better! This is a train-wreck!

Genre: Comedy

Director: John Hamburg

Cast: Kevin Hart, Mark Wahlberg, Regina Hall, Luis Gerado Méndez, Jimmy O Yang, Che Tafari, Amentii Sledge, Anna Maria Horsford & John Amos.

Run Time: 101 min.

US Release: 26 August 2022 (Netflix)

UK Release: 26 August 2022 (Netflix)

German Release: 26 August 2022 (Netflix)

From director John Hamburg, comes a new Netflix comedy starring Kevin Hart in his typical role of Kevin Hart, for the second time this year. While I wouldn’t say that Hamburg is one of the best at handling this genre, I did find Along Came Polly and I Love You, Man to be quite delightful, especially the latter one which I consider one of the funnier bromances. Me Time, however, was dull, foreseeable and not that funny from beginning to end. It doesn’t come as a surprise, though, seeing as Netflix is concentrating more on quantity than quality.

A father finds time for himself, for the first time in years, while his wife and children are away to visit the grandparents. He's reunited with his childhood friend for a wild weekend when things get completely out of control!

This is another perfect example of what is currently going wrong at Netflix! John Hamburg, who also wrote the script for this raunchy-humorous flick, is recycling the plot points of comedies that were released over the last fifteen years, yet doesn't add any new elements to it. The basis of the story is as so often; a father and husband, who feels or is compelled to take some time off from the family, to do something fun with friends. As is the case, things go wrong along the way, with implausible incidents happening and accidents occurring that would cost one’s life in reality. In the end, a lesson is learned, with everybody happily back together.

As stated before, the narrative is simply uninspired; the outlandish adventure Sonny experiences with his childhood friend Huck is pretty much over after twenty minutes. following that we obtain a stupid sequence of childish pranks these two play on someone, peaking with Hart leaving a duce on that person's bed. The second act ends with a house party at Sonny’s, a scene very reminiscent of Old School. The screenplay is predictable from the start, offering no surprises to the audience. This is a bad farce!

However, it does have two positive sequences that I’ll admit had me smirking. The introductory scene established the bromance between the two friends, as well as the actual birthday party escapade, which should have really been the focal point of the movie.

The dialogues are as expected; childish, unfunny and using raunchy humour. Degrading language is used by other parents, to make fun of Sonny for being a stay-at-home dad.

Kevin Hart as Sonny is basically the same character he played earlier in June’s The Man from Toronto, or so many other films prior. It is getting tiring to see him portray the same character in different flicks. He doesn’t add any new facets to the roles he obtains. Sonny is happily married, although there is no chemistry whatsoever between Hart and Regina Hall, a good father who feels the need to control every aspect of his children’s lives. Even at school, the PTA meetings he holds, just like the school’s talent show he directs, need to be perfectly planned. His need to be liked is pushing away others and wearing out his wife.

Mark Wahlberg, on the other hand, is cast as Huck; Sonny’s best friend since childhood, with whom he lost contact, due to his immaturity. Huck is a bachelor, successful at his job, making a lot of money, which he spends on high-risk stunts. He wants to reunite with Sonny at his birthday party, to relive the good old times. Whalberg’s persona is an amalgamation of several roles he played in the past, lacking originality. That said, the chemistry between the two is genuine, adding a lot of good vibes once they get together.

Regina Hall portrays Sonny’s wife Maya, a successful architect as well as the mother of their two children. Hall gave an alright performance, although the relationship between her and Hart’s character is not believable. Other than that, she doesn’t obtain that much screen time.

There is not much to say about the cinematography in a comedy like this. The camera work is decently helmed, though it feels pretty generic. Lighting plus colour are a little too saturated and clean, yet it is what Netflix usually goes for.

Once again, the computer-generated effects plus the use of greenscreen for excessive slapstick comedic sequences are simply unacceptable. There is no excuse in this day in age, even if it is just a Netflix release, to implement the horrible effects that were used in this film! The opening sequence clearly uses a green screen, while the puppet bird, hanging from one of the characters' suits, looks fake. The mountain lions that appear later are evidently CGI, and even the desert background doesn’t look genuine.

Even the music feels uninspired! Seals' number one trending song on Spotify was used in one scene, with the singer making a cameo appearance.

---

Verdict: John Hamburg's latest comedy is more painful than it is funny. It is a predictable, recycled plot that viewers have seen about a dozen times, without the addition of new elements, which could have made it somewhat worthwhile. The cliché story of the father going wild, while the wife and kids are out of the house, has been done more often than one can count, and most times these comedies revolving around that narrative failed to impress. Kevin Hart and Regina Hall are not credible as husband and wife, while Mark Wahlberg is a fun addition to the cast, yet ultimately plays a similar role as in Daddy’s Home. Everything about this movie feels like it was done before, there is no originality, and what we obtain are scraps of other movies that were bad themselves. Ultimately, this Netflix production is exactly what I expected: A dumpster fire at a humorous attempt, with terrible effects. Me Time gets a 3.5 out of 10.

If you are a Kevin Hart fan you might find some enjoyment in it, otherwise, if you haven’t seen it, skip it! It is not worth it, not even to kill some time! Thank you for reading and if you liked these reviews, be sure to subscribe!