Kevin Hart's '72 Hours' Lands 1.5-Star Review Ahead of July 24 Netflix Debut

Q: Why are critics calling a breakout SNL star the only reason to survive this cocaine-fueled generational clash?

Critics are largely pointing to Kam Patterson as the movie’s one clear standout because, in their view, he brings the freshest comic energy to a film that otherwise gets buried under stale generation-gap jokes, overstuffed plotting and repetitive Kevin Hart bits. In reviews of Netflix’s “72 Hours,” the broader complaint is that the film has a strong premise — a 40-year-old ad executive crashing a younger bachelor party to study Gen Z — but squanders it by piling on cocaine gags, crime-caper chaos and familiar “Hangover”-style escalation. Hart is often credited for commitment and pace, but reviewers say his recurring Tony Montana-style gangster routine wears thin quickly, while the script never fully develops its satire about age, friendship or cultural disconnect. That leaves the younger ensemble with limited room to break through. Marcello Hernández and Ben Marshall have drawn some praise, but critics frequently say they are underused or stuck with thin material. Patterson, by contrast, is repeatedly singled out as one of the few performers who consistently lands laughs, with several reviews describing him as a bright spot or the most memorable member of the bachelor-party crew. So when critics call the breakout “SNL” star the reason to survive the film’s “cocaine-fueled generational clash,” they mean Patterson’s charisma and comic timing provide rare payoff in a movie many found noisy, derivative and less funny than its premise promised.

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 23

1.5 stars out of 4: "72 Hours" is judged a lifeless Netflix comedy that wastes Kevin Hart and a cast of younger comic talent.
The review blames a tonally erratic script that mashes together bachelor-party chaos, crime antics and relationship drama instead of delivering a focused comedy.
Joe, Hart's 40-year-old ad man, joins a 3-day Miami bachelor trip to study Gen Z for a vodka pitch, but the setup quickly spirals into cringe gags, hidden-camera spying and trouble with a drug lord.
Marcello Hernández and Ben Marshall generate little spark, while Kam Patterson is cited as one of the film's few bright spots; repeated jokes about Hart's height and a recurring "Scarface" bit wear thin.
"72 Hours," directed by Tim Story and written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, begins streaming on Netflix on July 24.