Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg are two of the silver screen’s most enduring and entertaining leading men, and in 2022, the charismatic actors partnered up for the Netflix buddy comedy Me Time. Following the strained relationship between longtime childhood friends Sonny and Huck, the lively flick chronicles the many hijinks and misadventures the mismatched duo find themselves caught up in after they go away together for a much-needed weekend of fun and debauchery.
Naturally, their well-intentioned getaway goes spectacularly awry and Sonny (Hart) is left cleaning up the mess after Huck’s (Wahlberg) antics and deception spills into his personal life as a devoted family man. Despite the promising premise, Me Time proved to be a major critical dud and received just a 7% Rotten Tomatoes score, becoming both movie stars’ worst reviewed films of their eclectic careers. Let’s take a closer look at Me Time and where it went wrong.
Netflix’s Star-Studded Buddy Comedy
Featuring a stellar ensemble cast including Kevin Hart, Mark Wahlberg, Regina Hall, and Andrew Santino, the 2022 Netflix buddy comedy Me Time centers on longtime best friends Sonny Fisher (Hart) and Huck Dembo (Wahlberg) as the duo are reunited as part of their annual tradition in order to celebrate the laid back, fun-loving Huck’s birthday. Stay-at-home dad Sonny has grown distant from his old pal after shifting his focus solely on his wife Maya (Hall) and two kids, Dash and Ava, going above and beyond to be the best husband and father he can possibly be (almost to his detriment).
When Sonny decides to finally take a little personal time for himself after years of selfless behavior, he finds that his wild buddy won’t take no for an answer when it comes to enjoying his “me time” and whisks him away to celebrate his epic birthday bash. The rowdy and over-the-top weekend ends up leading to a domino effect of misfortune to befall Sonny, jeopardizing everything important to the family man and creating some major tension to arise between him and his polar opposite pal, Huck.
‘Me Time’ Fails to Dazzle Audiences & Critics
Despite the presence of Hollywood favorites Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart, Me Time proved to be a massively underwhelming comedy that failed to impress both viewers and critics, with many taking aim at its lackluster screenplay and uninspired humor and hijinks. The farce currently holds just a 7% Rotten Tomatoes score and did not fare much better with audiences, who gave the flick just 32% on the Popcornmeter; Me Time is both Wahlberg and Hart’s lowest-rated movie on Netflix and the worst reviewed in both their careers.
Oftentimes, fans will enjoy movies by their favorite stars (like Hart and Wahlberg) even when critics do not, yet the general consensus for Me Time was the waste of its talented cast and the underutilization of the two leading men. The masses felt that writer and director John Hamburg did not know what kind of film he wanted to make and was brought down by its scattered plot and cheesy and crude jokes that never landed with viewers. Me Time tries too hard to be both a raunchy, R-rated bro comedy as well as a wholesome family sitcom, making for a muddled mess that even passionate fans of the stars couldn’t get on board with.
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Though there is no denying that both Wahlberg and Hart tried to do the most with what they were given, their efforts unfortunately did not pay off and what could have been an uproarious farce became a run-of-the-mill flick that did not highlight their full potential as comedic performers. ABC News’ Peter Travers did not hold back in his blunt review of Me Time, in which he wrote: “Despite the star presence of Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg, this laugh-starved, buddy comedy is crushingly dim-witted and disposable.”
Hart & Walhberg’s Eclectic Hollywood Careers
For every critical triumph and blockbuster hit an actor has, there will inevitably be a major movie dud in their Hollywood repertoire, which was exactly the case for Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg with Me Time. The popular comedian has starred in both a slew of silver screen knockouts and some less-than-fantastic flicks throughout his impressive career, with Hart memorably appearing in epic franchises like Jumanji, The Secret Life of Pets, and Scary Movie and in fan-favorites including Central Intelligence, Ride Along, and Get Hard.
Similarly, Wahlberg’s enduring career has spanned 30 years, and he has received two Academy Award nominations for his commendable performances, having starred in an array of cinematic feats such as The Italian Job, The Departed, The Fighter, and Ted. It seems as though any time either actor dips their toe in the world of Netflix, the results tend to be a bit lackluster with moviegoers, as evidenced by one of Wahlberg’s other collaborations with the streamer, The Union. Likewise, Hart notably appeared in The Man From Toronto and Lift, neither of which left a positive lasting impression on audiences.
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Though Me Time is a mindless way to spend 101 minutes and pass the time on a lazy weekend, there’s no denying that it was unable to pack the humorous punch both its director and talented lead duo intended it to. While Wahlberg bounced back after the 2022 blunder with more favorably received movies like Father Stu and Arthur the King, and Hart with DC League of Pets, few will argue that Me Time just isn’t worth your time when it comes to picking your latest Netflix binge.
Stream Me Time on Netflix.
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