Fatherhood
Kevin Hart turns to parenthood with predictable results.
The father: Melody Hurd and Kevin Hart
Seven years ago, Film Review annual announced that “Kevin Hart must be the highest-paid US actor-comedian now working.” In 2012 he was paid over ten million dollars for his appearance in Think Like a Man. As well as his television stand-up routines which he writes himself, he is also a TV producer and for the last twenty years an actor. On the way is yet another slew of films and television work to come from the prolific Mr Hart. He is very busy and obviously extremely popular. That said, however, this latest film, with Hart as both actor and producer, may be less than satisfying, although it’s bound to be a hit with his fan base.
Adapted from a true story, Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin, Fatherhood details the changes in the life of Matthew (Kevin Hart) when he has to cope with looking after his newly-born daughter Maddy (Melody Hurd). Although he knows nothing about childcare, he refuses help from his family who urge him to move in with them. However, he feels he needs to stay put in a job he likes and look after Maddy as best he can. It is difficult, however, and initially he finds it hard dealing with dirty diapers and the child’s fractiousness – you know, the usual tropes in a story about single-parenting.
When Maddy eventually goes to school there are more problems – she gets bullied for favouring boys’ clothes, is involved in an accident, and Marian and Mike, Matt’s in-laws, try to take over Maddy when Matt is about to be transferred to work in Croatia. However, the lone father thinks better of it...
Single-parenting as a subject for the cinema is not exactly a new idea. Remember Gabriele Muccino’s The Pursuit of Happyness, or Richard Curtis’s Love Actually or Paul Weitz’s co-direction of About a Boy, or another current film on the same subject, Uberto Pasolini’s Nowhere Special. Unfortunately, although Fatherhood is based on a real-
life story, it still seems pretty unlikely fare. Kevin Hart is fine as Matt, Melody Hurd is a delight as Maddy, Alfre Woodard as grandma Marian is nicely contrary and the rest of the cast does its best to enliven the somewhat predictable screenplay co-written by Dana Stevens and Weitz, who really could and should have done better.
MICHAEL DARVELL
Cast: Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, Lil Rel Howery, Melody Hurd, Paul Reiser, Anthony Carrigan, Frankie R. Faison, DeWanda Wise, Deborah Ayorinde.
Dir Paul Weitz, Pro David Beaubaire, Marty Bowen, Kevin Hart and Peter Kiernan, Screenplay Dana Stevens and Paul Weitz, based on the book Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin, Ph Tobias Datum, Pro Des Sarah Knowles, Ed Jonathan Corn, Music Rupert Gregson-Williams, Costumes Francine Jamison-Tanchuck.
BRON Creative/Free Association/Higher Ground Productions/Sony Pictures Entertainment/Temple Hall Entertainment/Columbia-TriStar Pictures-Netflix
109 mins. USA. 2021. Rel: 18 June 2021. Available on Netflix. Cert. PG.