Comedians, Hollywood’s Hidden Gems

NETFLIX’S ‘TRUE STORY’ NON-SPOILER REVIEW

by: Steven McGee

What's up everyone Scubasteve back again and I'm here to ask a serious question. Are comedians secretly amazing actors that we all sleep on? First, we will talk about why I raised this question then we will dive in.

So by now, I'm sure we have all watched “The Harder They Fall” and “True Story” on Netflix. If you haven't, don't worry this will be a spoiler-free conversation. 

In the Netflix limited series "True Story" starring Kevin Hart alongside Wesley Snipes. Initially, I had no expectations and in the first episode, you are almost guided to believe that it is a comedy. To my surprise, it turned out to be a very well-thought-out suspense story in which Kevin Hart's performance seemed to be well above my expectations. Hart, who has now been in “The Upside”, “Fatherhood”, and now “True Story” has proven that he is a very solid actor. 

Now for “The Harder They Fall”. I bet you're wondering why on Earth would he bring up that movie? Long-time stand-up comedian Deon Cole plays sheriff Wiley Escoe. I never in a million years would have thought we would get such a gritty performance from him. Though he wasn't as big of a part of the story as Kevin Hart in his story the thing is the performances were very very good.

So now let's go down a list of comedic actors who have done great. Jamie Foxx… do I really have to name his performances? Robin Williams was in “Insomnia”, “What Dreams May Come”, “Bicentennial Man”, and “The Butler”. Jim Carey was in “Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind”, “23”, and more. Eddie Murphy was amazing in “Dream Girls” and had other movies such as “Mr. Church”. There is an extensive list of comedians doing great in serious roles here are some more honorable mentions. Jack Black, Tina Fey, Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell, Bernie Mac, Mo’Nique, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, and you get my point. 

So once again I raise the question… Are comedians in Hollywood slept on?