I would like to personally give an award to anyone who has watched “72 Hours,” as a form of apology. This movie revolves around Kevin Hart’s character Joe Nixon and his amazingly embarrassing midlife crisis. At its core, this movie does not revolve around friendship or even self-discovery. It is

I would like to personally give an award to anyone who has watched “72 Hours,” as a form of apology. This movie revolves around Kevin Hart’s character Joe Nixon and his amazingly embarrassing midlife crisis. At its core, this movie does not revolve around friendship or even self-discovery. It is

I would like to personally give an award to anyone who has watched “72 Hours,” as a form of apology. This movie revolves around Kevin Hart’s character Joe Nixon and his amazingly embarrassing midlife crisis. At its core, this movie does not revolve around friendship or even self-discovery. It is

I would like to personally give an award to anyone who has watched “72 Hours,” as a form of apology. This movie revolves around Kevin Hart’s character Joe Nixon and his amazingly embarrassing midlife crisis. At its core, this movie does not revolve around friendship or even self-discovery. It is just a man and his embarrassing shenanigans that drag a group of unsuspecting twenty-somethings into a series of unfortunate events.

Joe, as a 40-year-old man experiencing a midlife crisis, still cannot, for the love of God, commit to his gorgeous girlfriend. Instead of having an adult conversation with her to sort things out, he crashes a stranger’s bachelor party in Miami. He gets everyone into increasingly ridiculous situations, essentially ruining their weekend. It is after all this that he realises that maybe it's time for him to propose to his girlfriend and start his own company. This is as revolutionary as storytelling can get.

The film desperately attempts to make a commentary on Gen Z, but the source of the writers’ understanding seems to be Facebook comments that stereotype the generation. Many of them are thrown at the screen, all falling flat without fail, every single time. One subplot involving cheating is somehow brushed aside because the girlfriend cheated "with a Black guy," as though inclusivity magically erases unfaithfulness. This joke found me staring blankly at the screen waiting for it to get better.

Ironically, the most interesting observation in the film isn't the one it intends to make. Yes, it contrasts Gen Z's habit of living publicly while being fiercely guarded. It also presents two versions of the generation: the mature Mason, ready to settle down; the immature Nick, who constantly mocks him for getting engaged. But the real juxtaposition is impossible to ignore: a creepy forty-something man abandoning his girlfriend to infiltrate a bachelor party full of strangers while the actual young men are simply trying to enjoy their weekend.

None of the above incidents even begin to constitute the most problematic part of this movie. It is the endorsing of smart glasses and pendant cameras. Throughout the movie, Joe tries to capture the entire event through his specs and devices, aiming to create a pitch for the alcohol brand he is trying to get as a client. If this was the film’s idea of  “creative advertising,” it was less innovative and more a reminder of the many nightmarish ways in which privacy can be violated.

And the comedy? Every joke lands with the same grace as me trying to cross a road. By the time the credits rolled, I wasn't laughing. I was calculating how much anti-ageing cream I'd need after spending two hours frowning so hard that the script personally sponsored my forehead wrinkles. If the filmmakers were aiming for a comedy, the only comedy was me attempting to sit through this.

Film: 72 Hours

Director: Tim Story

Cast: Kevin Hart, Marcello Hernández, Mason Gooding, Kam Patterson, Ben Marshall, Teyana Taylor

Rating: 1/5

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