Thats the Coolest Story Can You Tell It Again
Information technology's hard to milk shake the feeling that "True Story," Kevin Hart's seven-episode Netflix dramatic mini-series, exists because of what happened to the stand up-up comedian around the 2019 Oscars. If you remember, he was announced as the host of the event only then forced to pace downward subsequently some homophobic tweets and stand-up bits surfaced. Three years later, Netflix has launched a series almost a fictional version of Hart who makes some much bigger mistakes than the existent one, of form, but the show lands in a tone-deaf place about cancel civilization and how we never really know what's going on behind the scenes in a celebrity'southward life. It nigh feels like "If you thought my tweets were bad ..." Worse than the funhouse mirror reflection of reality is the fact that this drama doesn't have enough meat on its bones for seven (8, actually, since the first episode is double-length) chapters of boob tube, and the story it does tell never once feels, well, "true."
The typically likable Hart attempts a change of pace here as the Kid, a Philly-raised stand-up (like Hart) who returns to his hometown for a show and reunites with his troublesome brother Carlton (Wesley Snipes, then consistently the nearly interesting thing nigh this show that he almost makes it worth watching on his ain). Carlton and Kid have had conflicts in the past (again, like Hart and his real brother) only seem to be getting along at present, even if the older blood brother demands he have a "V.V.I.P. Room" backstage. That's where the problem starts as Carlton pushes Kid off the sobriety wagon, and the glory wakes upward next to the body of a expressionless adult female after a nighttime of partying.
Carlton knows what to do. He calls a logroller named Ari (a very fun Billy Zane) to make clean up the mess, but, of form, naught goes as planned. Ari has some sociopathic brothers (John Ales and Chris Diamontopoulos) who get involved as "Truthful Story" mostly consists of Carlton and Kid trying to clean up messes and making bigger ones in the process. It doesn't help that Kid can't really go to his regular back up team, including managing director Todd (Paul Adelstein), babysitter Herschel (William Catlett), and author Billie (Tawny Newsome), or that he's dealing with a public and messy divorce. When a fan (Theo Rossi) gets involved, things get even uglier, and way cloudier in terms of what Hart and creator Eric Newman ("Narcos") think they're maxim most the dynamic between celebrities and those who love them the nigh. (Fans in this prove are presented equally stalkers or idiots, such as one who encounters Hart on a aeroplane and decides information technology's fine to echo a racist fleck back to him.)
Ane of the biggest bug with "True Story" is how it often feels like it wants to have it both ways in terms of how we're supposed to feel about Kid. I don't need a show to give me a moral roadmap, but I besides don't like it when it feels like the creators are indecisive about a character's motivations. Is Child a skilful guy defenseless upward in a bad state of affairs? Given some of the choices he makes, not actually. He's kind of a selfish jerk who values his career and safety over everything else. Imagine if "True Story" really leaned into that, presenting a celebrity whose entire value system has been crushed by the spotlight. There are times when it threatens to become that night and manner more interesting but and so it pulls back, wanting us to see ourselves in Kid when well-nigh no ane would make some of the violent, selfish decisions he makes here.
It doesn't assistance matters that "True Story" is another 1 of those streaming era ventures that should take been a Sundance characteristic film. It has a habit of introducing supporting characters who may too be wearing signs that say, "We have no idea what to do with this person." The most egregious example is Newsome'southward Billie, who feels prepare as a possible time to come star, someone who may someday have Kid opening for her instead, but and then just disappears into the background. Adelstein, Diamontopoulos, and Ales are i-note. Only Snipes comes out blazing, finding wonderfully subtle beats to play in a evidence that very rarely feels anything less than superficial. He is such a charismatic and fascinating player that he holds even the to the lowest degree conceivable scenes together.
Most of all, there'due south but not plenty realistic man behavior hither in a story that relies on coincidence and deep pause of disbelief (particularly regarding phones that are never locked nor uploading annihilation to a cloud). It is interesting to come across Hart play unlikable and the prove gains steam when he allows Kid to be a jerk, making one wish he could play a true anti-hero or even a villain in a future Netflix drama. Or, yous know what, let's give that testify to Wesley Snipes instead.
On Netflix today. Whole series screened for review.
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico is the Editor of RogerEbert.com, and too covers goggle box, motion picture, Blu-ray, and video games. He is likewise a author for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and Rolling Rock, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.
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Source: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/true-story-tv-review-2021
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