Kevin Hart comedy fun, won’t give you ‘The Hangover’

The latest straight-to-Netflix offering from comedian and actor Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Productions, “72 Hours,” accomplishes its implied mission: be a poor man’s version of “The Hangover.” On the streaming giant this week, “72 Hours” — about a 40-year-old who gloms on to a bachelor party of some 20-somethings and finds himself wrapped up in quite the ordeal — isn’t nearly as funny as director Todd Phillips’ 2009 bachelor party-centric romp starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis.

That said, the gags land more often than not in the new Tim Story-directed affair, thanks in no small part to the oversized comedic gifts of the well-under-6-foot Hart, who’s been front and center in several Netflix offerings thanks to the deal between the company and HartBeat.

Hart stars as advertising executive Joe, who has just been featured in an article by the trade publication Adweek and sees himself as one half of a power couple with girlfriend Jennifer (an underused Teyana Taylor of “One Battle After Another”), a surgeon wanted by the Mayo Clinic.

However, Joe’s pitch for a campaign for a line of vodka goes poorly, as have his last couple of swings. His boss (Kevin Dunn, “Veep”) tells him that he’s lost the ability to reach Gen Z and that if he doesn’t land the campaign, the promotion he’s coveted will go to someone younger. The answer to his prayers? A group text chain involving a small group of young men about to venture to Miami for a bachelor party who have accidentally added Joe to the chat. As they have made it clear they have little money, he asks them if he can come along in exchange for paying for a swanky Airbnb.

“What’s up, Unc?” asks Nick (Marcello Hernández, “Saturday Night Live”) as he, best friend and groom-to-be Mason (Mason Gooding, the “Scream” franchise) and buds Hunter (Ben Marshall, “Saturday Night Live”/Please Don’t Destroy) and Freshman (Kam Patterson, “Kill Tony,” “Saturday Night Live”) meet Joe.

Joe understands that they’re all a little surprised he’s added himself to their mix but promises the “big dog is here.” And even though they’re a little weirded out that he’s brought a case of vodka bottles (a reaction that doesn’t ring true), he insists on making a quartet of Rob Roys.

Their night on the town goes badly after Joe insists on starting by chugging two bottles of Pepto-Bismol before the type of hard partying with which he’s surely no longer accustomed. To make it up to them, he attempts to rent them a yacht. When that fails, he finds a way to get them aboard a huge one that’s popping. Problem is, the big boat is owned by the same criminal organization that owns the Airbnb property and already has reason to keep an irritated eye on Joe.

The situation grows only more complicated after bad guy Jaze (Michael Mando, “Better Call Saul”) insists Joe snort some cocaine to prove he’s not a cop. This is when we are introduced to Joe’s new alter ego, “Ricardo Montana,” with the actor doing his best impression of Tony Montana, Al Pacino’s much-quoted Cuban gangster from the 1983 film “Scarface.”

“Is this racist?” Mason asks Nick.

“Oh yeah,” Nick says with a laugh. “For sure.”

After Ricardo leads an escape from the yacht via “horses” — three personal watercraft — Jaze, working on behalf of his powerful father, is quite intent on killing Joe. That’s one problem for Joe. Another is that Jennifer isn’t answering his calls, angered by their encounter when he left for Miami. And he’d better hope the guys don’t realize he’s been recording them using wearable tech placed in his luggage by work pal Barry (Zach Cherry).

Penned by the “Cobra Kai” tandem of Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg and the duo of Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider (“The Pickup”), the weakly titled “72 Hours” is juggling enough balls to keep things moving. The guys also become intertwined with a group of young women at a club who prove to be more than they seem.

Story (“Barbershop,” “Ride Along”) deserves credit for the movie’s solid pacing. Plus, Hart gets some welcome help in the laugh-generating arena by the trio of “SNL” players, most notably Hernández, with his big, expressive eyes, and Patterson, who brings a pleasant aloofness and offbeat quality to Freshman.

Tribune News Service