F3PR: Kevin Hart to receive CinemaCon Comedy Star of the Year Award

PRESS RELEASE

KEVIN HART TO RECEIVE
“CINEMACON® COMEDY STAR OF THE YEAR AWARD”

UNIVERSAL PICTURES’ RIDE ALONG 2
ARRIVES IN THEATRES ON
JANUARY 15, 2016

WASHINGTON D.C. (March 09, 2015) – Kevin Hart will receive the “CinemaCon® Comedy Star of the Year Award” it was announced today by Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon . CinemaCon , the official convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), will be held April 20 - 23, 2015, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Hart will be presented with this special honor at the “CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards” ceremony to take place on Thursday, April 23, in the evening at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon , will host the final night gala awards program.

“With a tireless work ethic and a comedic timing that is unlike no other, Kevin Hart has become box-office gold, with his films drawing moviegoers to the theaters in droves,” noted Neuhauser. “An outstanding comedic talent and one of the most entertaining comedians in film today, Kevin has brought laughter to audiences around the world, cementing himself at the top of the box office. We could not be more thrilled than to honor him with the ‘CinemaCon Comedy Star of the Year Award.’”

Hart may be seen early next year starring in Universal Pictures’ Ride Along 2, which will arrive in theatres on January 15, 2016. Hart and Ice Cube lead the returning lineup for the sequel to the blockbuster action-comedy that gave us the year’s most popular comedy duo. Director Tim Story will return for the next chapter of the series, as well as Cube’s fellow producers –Will Packer, Matt Alvarez and Larry Brezner – who will produce alongside Cube. Benjamin Bratt, Ken Jeong, and Olivia Munn join the cast alongside returning cast member Tika Sumpter.

The performer’s work ethic has translated into big numbers for the film studios with which he has worked over the course of his career. With budgets of under $75 million, Hart’s movies for Screen Gems alone have now grossed more than a quarter-billion dollars at the worldwide box office.

Hart may next be seen in Warner Bros.’ March 2015 release of Get Hard, staring opposite Will Ferrell, and can still be seen on screens in one of this winter’s big hits, Screen Gems’ The Wedding Ringer. Hart began his career as a shoe salesman, when a performance at amateur night in a Philadelphia comedy club changed his life. After quitting his job, Hart began performing full time at comedy venues before his first appearance at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival led him into roles in feature films. His film credits include Paper Soldiers, Scary Movie 3, Along Came Polly, The Five-Year Engagement, Grudge Match, About Last Night, Top Five and the highly successful Think Like a Man and Think Like a Man Too.

In addition to feature films, Hart has seen success on the small screen and on stage. He is currently executive producing the show Real Husbands of Hollywood, which premiered its third season in September. Hart’s other television credits include hosting the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards; hosting BET’s classic stand-up comedy series ComicView: One Mic Stand; ABC’s The Big House, which he also executive produced and wrote; and recurring roles on Love, Inc, Barbershop and Undeclared. Hart is currently on the road with his “What Now” arena comedy tour, the first comedy tour in which some shows will be held in football stadiums. This follows up his many successful comedy tours including Let Me Explain, Laugh at My Pain and comedy specials including I’m a Grown Little Man and Seriously Funny.

About CinemaCon

CinemaCon will attract upwards of 5,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry -- from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas -- all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.

CinemaCon is delighted to have both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as its tradeshow partners. CinemaCon is also delighted to have as its official presenting sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, one of the industry’s greatest and highly regarded and respected partners in the world of the movies.

About NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 32,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 81 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.

Additional information on CinemaCon can be found at www.cinemacon.com.

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The Movie Report #773, June 20, 2014

#773, June 20, 2014

MOVIES:

• Jersey Boys
  
• Miss Lovely
  
• Think Like a Man Too
  
• Third Person
  

The Movie Report #665, April 20, 2012

#665, April 20, 2012

MOVIES:

• Chimpanzee
  
• The Lucky One
  
• Surviving Progress
  
• Think Like a Man
  
• To the Arctic
  

Review: Think Like a Man

; Rated PG-13
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DVD!
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The idea of a film based on Steve Harvey's bestseller Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man sounds more than a bit dubious; after all, a narrative feature based on what is essentially a self-help book? But with Think Like a Man, director Tim Story and screenwriters Keith Merryman and David A. Newman have unlocked the material in as cinematic a way as ideally possible. They go beyond merely using the title as a springboard for a premise (like, for instance, He's Just Not That into You) and consistently calling back to the source in a way that made sense to the plot lines, fashioning it into basically another character--and Harvey's book is the troublemaker of the ensemble that shakes up the romantic status quo for most of the rest of the canvas: The Player (Romany Malco), The Mama's Boy (Terrence J), The Dreamer (Michael Ealy), The Non-Committer (Jerry Ferrara); and their respective matches, The 90-Day Rule Girl (Meagan Good), The Single Mom (Regina Hall), The Woman Who Is Her Own Man (Taraji P. Henson), and The Ring Girl (Gabrielle Union). Acting as bemused bystanders most of the way are The Happily Married Guy (Gary Owen) and, most notably, The Even Happier Divorced Guy (Kevin Hart), who narrates and comments on all the intergender byplay and--perhaps more accurately--warfare.

Those assigned labels are not my own snarky, reductive invention. While this is another of the wave of large ensemble rom-coms where everyone generally falls into an identifiable character type, making for a conveniently, if not always realistically, varied canvas to follow, Story and the writers not only acknowledge but rather proudly own such a contrivance/convention from the jump, from Hart's introductory voiceover identifying the guys to even title cards identifying each pairing. This also nicely serves to solidify the connection with the source material, taking types from the book and thus having certain scenarios from it play out in storylines in the film proper. Of course, mere self-awareness of the types and formulae don't make compelling viewing alone. There needs to be the right actors to bring them life and personality, and across the board everyone fits their part like a glove, both in ways that fit their established wheelhouses (such as the jovially wisecracking Hart) or show sides they had not yet had the opportunity to do so on screen (such the gifted Henson, finally getting an opportunity to fulfill her Glamorous Romantic Leading Lady destiny; relative big screen newcomer Terrence, who is a bit of a revelation; Chris Brown, in an amusingly goofy turn).

Even more crucial, however, is the chemistry between the actors, and in terms of both the romantic couples and the camaraderie between the guys and girls, and on both counts the film gets it right, having both the agreeable, infectious sense of humor and genuine, welcoming likability and therefore investment. Also helping immeasurably is that the flavor of each duet, much like the character types, have their distinctive flavor and appeal. Union and Ferrara have the believable, warmly "lived-in" energy of a pair that's been together for what feels like forever (a nice costuming touch is having her often wear clothes that are clearly his). On the opposite end are Henson and Ealy, bringing the intense erotic heat of immediate, impetuous passion while also forging a palpable connection that could serve as a foundation for something deeper. Lying between those two are the very cute Terrence/Hall coupling, who easily convince that there would be a genuine and substantial rapport despite their differences in age and circumstance; and the sexual suppression and resulting tension of the Malco/Good pairing makes for choice comic moments and a satisfying, cathartic release as their relationship blooms into something neither of them planned nor expected.

Bringing it all together is Story, and as he showed in the original Barbershop, he not only knows how to bring balance to such an expansive multi-character and -story piece but also make every thread feel part of a cohesive whole. No one story nor character dominates (though, naturally, there are scene/movie stealers--and the timing could not be more perfect for Hart, coming off of the box office success of Laugh at My Pain, and more than likely this will be the big springboard for a proper, major starring vehicle for his considerable comic talents), and everyone gets a chance to shine, whether comically or dramatically or both. Story's able, indispensable guidance is almost certain to be underrated, given how this is of the most notoriously formula of genres and hence is more notably personality/actor-driven. But one need only look at Garry Marshall's recent twin fiascoes of holiday-themed ensemble rom-coms, Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve, to see just how such a film requires a strong, careful directorial hand--which, ultimately, is how and why Think Like a Man ends up being one of the best mainstream date movies to come out in recent memory.

Order the Think Like a Man poster here.
Order the Think Like a Man DVD here.
Order the Think Like a Man Blu-ray here.
Order the Think Like a Man soundtrack here.
Order the Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man book here.