No Explanation Necessary: “Let Me Explain” is Outrageously Funny

Comedian Kevin Hart has seen quite a rise in his popularity over the past five years, as he has gone from being known mainly for his minor role of CJ in the “Scary Movie” franchise to becoming one of the most popular comedians of the decade with his standup specials I’m a Grown Little Man, Seriously Funny, and Laugh at My Pain. Hart looked to continue his success with his new standup movie Let Me Explain, which features Hart’s performance at Madison Square Garden in New York. The beginning of the film is undoubtedly the weakest part of the entire movie: Hart is with his friends partying and celebrating, when several people come up to him and accuse him of several different things that have happened to Hart in the past few months, leaving Hart wanting the chance to explain himself. Following a run to the rooftop to get some air, Hart sees Madison Square Garden in the distance, leading him to decide to go there immediately to explain everything that has happened, bringing the party to a halt. While the writing in these first few scenes is not exactly high-grade, it does lead to an easy transition into the standup portion of the movie, which is what the majority of the film is about.

Although the acting and writing in the beginning is forgettable, Kevin Hart definitely does not disappoint in his standup portion of the movie. Hart hilariously rambles on a number of topics (as he has done in his previous standup performances), including crazy women, what goes into being someone’s “best friend”, riding horses with his friends, and several other hilarious bits. Hart does an excellent job of creating new and fresh material for each of his new movies, allowing all of his fans to listen to any of his material and not find themselves going over the same set of jokes again and again.

To sum up “Let Me Explain” accurately, I would give the “scripted” portions before and after the Madison Square Garden show a 4.5/10 but the actual standup an 8.5/10, putting the film at a 6.5/10. This wasn’t in my opinion Hart’s funniest standup (that would go to Seriously Funny), but it was original and provided a great deal of laughs to everyone in the audience.

Kevin Hart has definitely reached the top as a standup comedian as well as an actor, and with four films coming out in 2013 and 2014—Grudge Match with Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro, Ride Along with Ice Cube, About Last Night, and Think Like a Man Too—it is a safe assumption that Hart will continue to have his fair share of hits.