Tackling everything from bad jokes, fatherhood, his diminutive height and double dating, Kevin Hart’s “I’m a Grown Little Man†is a stand-up performance that shows his evolution as a comic.
He’s come a long way since his appearance in “Drillbit Taylor.â€
While it’s not as funny as some of his other work, his ability to characterize other people, their problems and his overall candor towards his own make this performance a memorable one. Only one person can discuss being an African-American sitting on the back of the bus while on a white water rafting trip, dumb babies and domestic violence with the kind of flair Hart can. Using voices and facial expressions to help develop his comedy, Hart will originally remind many of Dave Chappelle, but by the end of the show, you’ll be convinced not only of his talent, but of his originality as well.
Through the 72-minute performance, Hart jumps around topics quite often, but rather than have a disassociated or awkward feel to it, “I’m a Grown Little Man†ends up feeling streamlined and cohesive. Like a good comedian, he makes jokes that he comes back to throughout the show, but you never see it coming the first time out. Making fun of his young son’s head movements a few times throughout the show, Hart is able to make the wrong things funny and make it feel oh so right. He does this later with domestic violence as well, telling a story of a time he was dating a tall woman who he had to punch in the ribs in the super market for getting an item he couldn’t reach and embarrassing him.
“She should have lifted me up, so I could reach it myself,†he said in defense of his actions, getting a huge laugh from the audience.
Jokes like this, which put him out on the line, exposing himself as a normal person, with insecurities like everyone else, before doing the things no one else would do to get a laugh, are Hart’s usual tactics here. They never get old. As a matter of fact, at times, you’ll get his formula early on and wait for the big finish. By the end of the show, Hart racks up at least a half dozen of these types of jokes, going through a myriad of topics and ideas, making him as multi-faceted as he is funny.
With wide eyes, imagination and stories that have to be told, Hart is able to make us forget about his quirky performances in films such as “Soul Plane†and “Scary Movie 4,†and realize that he’s the type of comedic talent that will be around for a very long time.
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