What is it about Netflix’s recent release, “Lift,” that has upset the audience so much? Its ludicrous plot? Stock characters? An underwritten, poorly-performed villain? Or the unfathomable reality that in casting a black comedic star in a lead action role, it has dared to usurp the status quo?
Maybe the fact that in the course of 106 minutes, he doesn’t make you laugh even once. He doesn’t even try. Now, that’s nothing short of blasphemous, considering that Hart is celebrated for his comedic genius. He dared to try something else. Tried to trespass as an action star — a space that has always been the prerogative of Hollywood’s white, blue-eyed boys. Of course, his chutzpah has made some audiences uncomfortable.
Primary among the many dissatisfactions that flittered after the film’s release was how ill-suited Kevin Hart was for the lead role of a smart, suave art thief who, aided by an exemplary team, executes million-dollar heists with the perfection of a master connoisseur. One disappointed viewer tweeted, “Just wasted an hour-and-a-half of my life watching ‘Lift.’ Kevin Hart was the worst choice for the part. How does he keep getting lead roles?”
An audience member wrote on Rotten Tomatoes, “This was the worst KH movie I’ve seen. It wasn’t funny. It’s like he was trying to be a serious action star or something. I’m not buying a 5’2 dude trying to be Mr. Action guy.”
In “Lift,” Hart’s Cyrus Whittaker is unlike anything that you’ve seen him as before. He is the nucleus that holds his group of motley technicians together, steers them in the right direction, and stands the tallest when the goings get tough. But I get it. It’s an anomaly for a comedic star of Hart’s stature to not want to make you laugh even once during the film. Of course, his wanting to branch out into serious leading roles has made a large section of moviegoers uneasy.
As popular as he may be, we are used to seeing him in hare-brained films such as the “Jumanjis” (2017, 2019) and the “Ride Alongs” (2014, 2016). No matter how much he might want to push the envelope and punch at the glass ceiling, a Kevin Hart wanting to be a Tom Cruise is a punishable offense.
Not too long ago, Adam Sandler started out as a funny guy. It was a series of romcoms and sex comedies before he eventually gave breakout dramatic performances in films such as “The Meyerowitz Stories” (2017) and “Uncut Gems” (2019). Had he been snubbed right after his first few attempts wanting to dabble with different genres, we’d have never found out what we know now with great surety — he’s one of the most interesting actors working in Hollywood today with a range so ridiculous, it continues to offend his critics.
You could argue that “Lift” didn’t give Hart too many triumphant moments or that writer Daniel Kunka didn’t take the time needed to let the story stew, simmer, grow roots. But fast-paced, flashy heist movies are rarely character-driven or known for stories that stay with you long after you’ve watched the end credits roll. Whether it be the “Fast & Furious” films or the “Mission Impossible” franchise, spy thrillers and heist movies are inherently so action-proud and plot-heavy that there is little room for anything else.
Director F Gary Gray, who has previously helmed mega titles such as “The Italian Job” (2003), “The Fate of the Furious” (2017), and “Men in Black: International” (2019), has given “Lift” a global stage and a staggering mounting that a film of this scale deserves. Through all the thrilling sequences, whether it be the opening speedboat chase cutting across the canals in Venice, the hand-to-hand combat that Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (who is glorious as the Interpol agent Abby Gladwell) engage on board a passenger plane, or the central $500 million heist that takes place 40,000 feet above the ground aboard an airbus A380, Gray makes sure you get the most bang for your buck.
“Lift” may not be Hart’s most memorable performance to date, but it sure is a step forward in the right direction. Allow him a few more films in which he’s not the comic relief or the livewire sidekick, films that yank him out of the box that he’s been suffocating in for years now, let him have his center stage, and I’m convinced our man will soar.
