Kevin Hart's Best Movies, Ranked by Metacritic
The comedian is leaving his imprint on Hollywood in more ways than one.
Kevin Hart
Amy Sussman / Getty ImagesKevin Hart is an American comedian and actor, best known for his stand-up comedy as well as a notable career in film. Hart's breakthrough role was as recurring character Luke in Judd Apatow's 2001 sitcom Undeclared after he garnered attention for himself after winning several stand-up competitions. The series also featured other such acclaimed comedic performers as Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Amy Poehler.
Hart's film debut was in the film Paper Soldiers, a 2002 American urban crime comedy. He gained further recognition from other films including the Scary Movie franchise, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Death at a Funeral, and Little Fockers. In 2018, Hart produced his first film under his production company HartBeat Productions, Night School. Just one year later, Hart starred as the lead role in a drama film for the first time in his career in the film The Upside, which also starred Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman.
Throughout his career, Hart has maintained a closeness to his roots in comedy. Since 2009, Hart embarked upon four comedy tours, beginning with I'm a Grown Little Man, followed by Seriously Funny in 2010, Laugh at My Pain in 2011, and Let Me Explain in 2013.In 2017, Hart founded Laugh Out Loud, a global media and production company that aims to provide opportunities for the top comedians of all ethnicities around the world. Since then, Hart has worked on expanding LOL's reach, and the company has won numerous accolades including nominations and awards from the Producers Guild of America and Critics' Choice Movie Awards.
Here, Metacritic highlights the top movies Hart has acted in, ranked by Metascore.
Top Five
Metascore: 81
Best for: Fans of stand-up comedy and Chris Rock
Where to watch:
Runtime: 102 minutes
Top Five is a 2014 comedy that follows stand-up comedian and recovering alcoholic Andre Allen (Rock) as he delves into his past during a day-long interview with New York Times reporter Chelsea (Rosario Dawson). Though Andre had moved on from his comedy career after booking the lead of a hit action-comedy franchise, he begins to get back in touch with his love for stand-up as he and Chelsea spend a day in New York. The ensemble cast includes J.B. Smoove, Hart, Sherri Shepherd, Michael Che, Tracy Morgan, Jay Pharoah, Leslie Jones, and Cedric the Entertainer, along with Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, and Whoopi Goldberg who appear as themselves.
"Top Five is a funny movie, but Rock has his sights set higher than lowbrow, and for the most part, he succeeds." — Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
Night School
Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of high school shenanigans and Tiffany Haddish
Where to watch:
Runtime: 85 minutes
This 2018 comedy follows high school dropout Teddy Walker (Hart) who finds himself jobless after accidentally blowing up his place of work. With his eyes set on getting a job at his friend's financial investment firm, Teddy decides to go back to school to get his GED, where he's forced to contend with his old high school bully, a class of misfits, and a tough but unconventional teacher. Co-written by and starring Hart, Night School also stars Haddish as the teacher, Carrie Carter, and Rob Riggle and Romany Malco as Teddy's classmates Mackenzie and Jaylen, respectively.
"A triumphant and affecting film that explores the issue of inequality beyond the usual political, paternal talking points." — John Fink, The Film Stage
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Metascore: 73
Best for: Fans of middle-aged mayhem and Apatow's sense of humor
Where to watch:
Runtime: 116 minutes
The 40-Year-Old Virgin stars Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer, a likable 40-year-old single guy who works at a big box store, lives alone, and spends his free time collecting action figures and playing video games. One day over a game of poker, his co-workers David (Paul Rudd), Jay (Romany Malco), and Cal (Seth Rogen) learn that Andy is still secretly a virgin. Determined to help him "do it," the band of men create a plan to help Andy feel more comfortable around women and to lose his virginity once and for all. This film also boasts an iconic comedic scene that involves a not-so-movie-magic chest wax. Hart appears in a brief scene in the big box store, playing a customer.
"A love story that gets the single male culture down so honestly and unapologetically that it can't help but push the boundaries of political correctness." — Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Metascore: 69
Best for: Fans of comic books and underpants
Where to watch:
Runtime: 89 minutes
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is a 2017 animated superhero comedy that stars the voices of Hart, Ed Helms, Thomas Middleditch, and Nick Kroll. Based on the Dav Pilkey children's novel series of the same name, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie follows George Beard (Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Middleditch), two imaginative pranksters who spend their free time in a treehouse creating comic books. One day when their mean principal threatens to separate the two between different classes, the boys accidentally hypnotize him into believing that he's a ridiculous superhero named Captain Underpants.
"An endlessly inventive and anarchic Dreamworks romp based on the Dav Pilkey children's books, it thrives on prankster pals, over-matched adults and a hand-drawn comic book hero's ethos." — Roger Moore, Movie Nation
This Is the End
Metascore: 67
Best for: Fans of Rogen and the apocalypse
Where to watch:
Runtime: 107 minutes
This Is the End is a 2013 apocalyptic comedy film that features a long list of famous comedians and actors who all portray exaggerated versions of themselves as they attempt to survive an absurdist apocalypse. When Jay Baruchel arrives in Los Angeles to visit his fellow actor friend Rogen, the two attend a housewarming party hosted by James Franco, where beams of blue light begin to suck guests into the sky. Sinkholes, demons, and cannibals only scratch the surface of what's in store for this gang of unsuspecting celebrities. Hart, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, and Emma Watson also appear in the film as versions of themselves.
"Maybe it has something to do with Jewish writers riffing on the apocalypse, but This Is the End doesn't really know how to end." — Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle
About Last Night
Metascore: 62
Best for: Fans of rom-coms and David Mamet
Where to watch:
Runtime: 100 minutes
Based on the 1974 Mamet play Sexual Perversity in Chicago, About Last Night tells the story of two couples that test how their relationships function in the world of adulthood. Danny (Michael Ealy) is a restaurant supply salesman who meets Debbie (Joy Bryant), a friend of his coworker's current partner, when the four of them go out on a double date. As they continue to date and grow closer, Danny and Debbie begin to confront budding issues within their relationship while Bernie (Hart) and Joan (Regina Hall) wonder if they're a good fit for each other.
"Hart is a comic fireball. Don't leave till after the final credits when he and Hall bust a few more hilarious improv moves." — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
The Five-Year Engagement
Metascore: 62
Best for: Fans of romantic turmoil
Where to watch:
Runtime: 124 minutes
This 2012 romantic comedy stars Segel and Emily Blunt as a couple (Tom and Violet) whose relationship is put to the test when their engagement seems to be perpetually extended. Tom works as a sous-chef and Violet is a PhD graduate, and when Violet is accepted into a two-year postdoctoral program at the University of Michigan, Tom agrees to move with herand delay their wedding. The move to Michigan only marks the beginning of the hurdles the couple must tackle as they attempt to reconcile their different needs in order to save their relationship.
"Drags and sags at 124 minutes. Luckily, the movie never runs on sitcom empty. How could it, with a terrific cast." — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
The Secret Life of Pets
Metascore: 61
Best for: Pet owners everywhere
Where to watch:
Runtime: 87 minutes
The Secret Life of Pets is a 2016 animated comedy that follows Max (Louis C.K.), a Jack Russell Terrier who lives in New York with his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper). When Katie goes to work, Max gets to hang out with the other pets in the building including Chloe the tabby cat (Lake Bell), Mel the pug (Bobby Moynihan), Buddy the miniature dachshund (Hannibal Buress), and Sweetpea the parakeet (Tara Strong). One day, Katie comes back home with an adopted Newfoundland mix named Duke (Eric Stonestreet), which makes Max extremely jealous and sets off a chain of events that takes the two dogs on an adventure that spans far beyond the comfort of their apartment, during which they meet Snowball the rabbit (Hart).
"Moves like a bat out of hell from frame one, though if you're looking for any kind of emotion you might be barking up the wrong tree." — Ben Croll, IndieWire
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Metascore: 60
Best for: Fans of Hobbs & Shaw and cyber-genetic action films
Where to watch:
Runtime: 137 minutes
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is the ninth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, and it follows Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw (Johnson and Jason Statham, respectively) as they team up with Shaw's sister Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) to defeat a cyber-genetically enhanced terrorist and ex-MI6 agent Brixton Lore (Idris Elba). Two years after Brixton frames Hattie for a crime she did not commit, the trio sets off to stop him and the evil corporation Eteon from using their super virus to wipe out humanity. Hart makes a brief and uncredited appearance as an air marshal.
"Whatever this is, it's not a movie – it's a product more deserving of a road test than a review." — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Metascore: 58
Best for: Fans of Jumanji and video games
Where to watch:
Runtime: 119 minutes
This 2017 action comedy is a sequel to the 1995 original film, following a group of teenagers who stumble upon Jumanji, the same game from the original but now in video game form. Once they begin to play using the console, they find themselves trapped inside the game until they complete the game's objective. However, this time around, the players are not themselves but are instead a set of adult avatars with unique strengths and weaknesses. The film features a star-studded cast including Johnson, Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Alex Wolff, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, and Nick Jonas.
"It's a likable film which borrows liberally from everything and everyone, and if it's put together by numbers, well, then it is done capably enough." — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Jumanji: The Next Level
Metascore: 58
Best for: Fans of action comedies and Danny DeVito
Where to watch:
Runtime: 123 minutes
Jumanji: The Next Level is a sequel to the 2017 installment and stars the same cast reprising their roles from previous film, in addition to a new cast including Awkwafina, Rory McCann, Danny Glover, and DeVito. The film takes place two years after Welcome to the Jungle, and the same group of teens find themselves trapped in Jumanji yet again. Despite having made it out the first time, the teenagers soon discover that the game has new challenges, new avatars, and a new villain they must stop in order to escape.
"What gives Jumanji its likability is that it has the emphases and comedy beats of an animation, but also the performance technique of live action." — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
DC League of Super-Pets
Metascore: 56
Best for: Fans of DC Comics and animal adventures
Where to watch: In theaters
Runtime: 100 minutes
When his owner Superman (voiced by John Krasinski) and other members of the Justice League are captured by Lex Luthor (Marc Maron) and his guinea pig Lulu (Kate McKinnon), the superhero's faithful canine companion Krypto (Dwayne Johnson) is determined to save the day. But because he lost his own abilities, Krypto needs a team of his own to help, and he sets out to recruit other super-powered pets, including Ace (Hart).
"Johnson and Hart seem to have fun, too, but a fair amount of their charm as a comedic duo is lost without their physical presence — not that the audience of kids will know this or care. Parents might just be wishing they were watching this cast in live-action instead." — Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press
UPDATED: This story was updated on Aug. 1 to move DC League of Super-Pets down due to a change in Metascore.