Kevin Hart invites moviegoers to 'Laugh at My Pain'

Kevin Hart invites moviegoers to ‘Laugh at My Pain’

21 November 2011 No Comments

By Angela Walcott

Many fans of comedian/actor Kevin Hart will have to wait until 2012 for the release of his two films Think Like a Man and Five Year Engagement. But until then, admirers can see Hart in the much talked about Laugh At My Pain.

Laugh At My Pain is the feature length film based on Hart’s comedy tour of the same name. Hart, who starred in The Little Fockers and Death at a Funeral, says the idea of making a feature film from his comedy tour footage, was something that he stepped into with confidence. It was also something that his fans supported. After seeing the film, Hart believes that his fans will ultimately have a better sense of who he is. “You let them see your life and who you are and what you represent,” said the comedian in a telephone interview. “Fans can see that it is honest and I am not afraid to show how true and real I am.”

Kevin Hart got an early start in the business by auditioning and subsequently performing during amateur night at the Laff House in Philadelphia where he was able to practice and develop his craft. Over the years, Hart has seen people come and go. “People will build you up and beat you down,” he says. But for every obstacle that Hart has faced in his life, it made him the person he is now. Hart has seen the blueprint of his life, laid out before him. “Maturity is a result of the obstacles I faced in life and they are all part of my growth.”

One of the main obstacles that Hart had to face at a young age was growing up with a father who was addicted to cocaine. While there are painful memories associated with his father’s lifestyle, Hart uses this as material in his comedy skit.

Because Hart has been performing for so long, he is able to assess his audience based on one thing –energy. His fans are familiar with his style, so they know what to expect which is fast, furiously funny and incredibly honest delivery.

Part documentary, the film is a complex mix of a comedy, within a comedy of errors within a documentary within another comedy.

Kevin Hart backstage with family

Not one to sugarcoat the reality of things, Hart discusses everything including finances, dating, fatherhood and childhood memories of his father. Despite all the wisecracking and one-liners that Hart displays in his act, we see a side of the popular comic that very few have seen before –his vulnerability.

The film opens with Hart providing us with a tour of the neighbourhood where he grew up, where he played basketball, the community centre where he learned to swim, and where he attended high school. Along the way, we meet his aunt who became a second mother to Hart after the death of his own mother. In a teary confession, Hart admits that without his cousins, his aunts – his family– he wouldn’t be the man that he is today.

While watching the film and listening to his comedy sketch, one can only begin to imagine that this is not just any ordinary comedy routine rife with copious amounts of profanity and explicit sexual content. It is just as much a cathartic experience for the performer as It is about entertaining a room full of diehard fans. While the audience tries to bite their tongue by not “laughing at his pain”, it is difficult not to react to his jokes with laughter.

As Hart explains, “This film is not a joke, it comes from a real place—a hurt place. I am just now ready for people to see that side and people will enjoy that side when they see it.”

Laugh At My Pain is currently in theatres.