'72 Hours' Review: Kevin Hart's Netflix Comedy Misses — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- '72 Hours' is directed by Tim Story and stars Kevin Hart as Joe, a middle-aged ad executive who crashes four younger men's Miami bachelor party under the pretext of 'market research' on young people.
- The premise has Joe accidentally added to a group chat with Nick (Marcello Hernández), Mason (Mason Gooding), Freshman (Kam Patterson), and Hunter (Ben Marshall), then paying to join their last weekend of pre-wedding bromance.
- The reviewer argues the film undercuts its own commentary on generational differences and male friendships by restating its premise repeatedly for multi-screen viewers.
- The runtime is roughly 1 hour 45 minutes, and the review compares the film unfavorably to 'Red Notice' rather than 'The Hangover,' citing its half-committed blend of action and comedy.
- Plot detours include the group accidentally stealing 30 kilos of cocaine from a cartel boss and Hart's character turning into a Spanish-speaking drug lord whenever he does a line, plus what the reviewer calls an excessive vomiting sequence with 'some of the worst effects you'll see all year.'
- The tagline 'He puts the unc in uncool' is singled out as brilliant, even as the review concludes the film 'never tries to be much more than a flashy consumer product.'
- '72 Hours' is now streaming on Netflix.
Why it matters: The review positions '72 Hours' as another entry in Netflix's direct-to-streaming action-comedy template that prioritizes concept over execution, explicitly comparing it to 'Red Notice' — a previous Hart vehicle criticized for similar shortcomings. For Netflix viewers, the review signals the film is watchable but disposable, redeemed only by its tagline.
Ask SkimNews
