"72 Hours" is already among Netflix's most-watched titles Yet the comedy starring Kevin Hart and Marcello Hernandez is a wasted opportunity

First among the most-watched titles on the Netflix platform this hot summer is 72 Hours, a new comedy starring showman Kevin Hart and directed by Tim Story. Despite being written by multiple hands (four, to be precise: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Kevin Burrows, Matt Mider), it fails to deliver a result that rises above mediocre. A shame, because all the ingredients for a genuinely funny film were there, especially given the cast: alongside veteran Hart, the screen is shared by fresh faces from American comedy, drawn from the Saturday Night Live talent pool, with several recognizable names among them.

Who are the comedians in the cast of 72 Hours

The young talents in question include Marcello Hernández, whom many may have come to know through his recurring character Domingo on SNL — the protagonist of several sketches that broke out beyond the confines of the show itself, reaching even those who don't normally watch it. Then there's Ben Marshall, who is carving out an increasingly prominent space both as a key face on the program and beyond. He is one of the members of the group Please Don't Destroy, heirs to the work once done by The Lonely Island, but with less music and a greater focus on producing videos crafted specifically for SNL.

Finally, there's Kam Patterson, the least defined of the three, yet ready to make his mark. Alongside them, though not from the comedy world, is Mason Gooding of the current Scream franchise, who blends well into the already more or less established group dynamic. He brings some humorous elements, but positions himself more as the emotional anchor of the friend group portrayed in the film.

Old and new comedy — a confrontation only hinted at

In this encounter between Kevin Hart and the group of comedians lies the heart of 72 Hours's plot and its most interesting aspect: working at a communications agency, Joe (Hart) is told he's old by his superiors, who might replace him if he fails to tap into the tastes and attention of younger audiences. When he accidentally ends up in the group chat for a bachelor party, he decides to join the trip to observe the new generation firsthand and discover what they're into — before finding himself caught up in a wave of mishaps and disasters.

A premise that on its own lays a solid foundation for a narrative that could have played with the mirror of past and present comedy and the ways of yesterday versus those of today. But that encounter/clash unfortunately remains subordinate to a mediocre storyline that quickly takes over. The film fails to seize the opportunity to make a broader statement about the arrival of new talent and the role their predecessors can play, settling instead for leaving the subject in the background and squandering its potential.

Why 72 Hours doesn't work

72 Hours is left with little else on which to build its story — a story that could have blended together humor and a broader look at the state of comedy. And the big problem is that, even setting aside the themes that could or could not have been explored, it isn't even as funny as one might have hoped. There's no real originality or wit that would allow the film to stand confidently on its own two feet. Instead, it opts for easy comedic solutions that can only come across as sloppy and hollow.

A wasted opportunity that doesn't move the film an inch beyond its own backyard. When it comes to actually making audiences laugh, it struggles to do so, whether that's down to captain Kevin Hart, his crew, or a story that starts out straightforward and ends up convoluted. As a result, everyone's talent ultimately shines through at only half its potential.