Me Time is a 2022 buddy comedy film written and directed by NYC native John Hamburg, the cousin of The Bourne Identity and Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman. Hamburg is no stranger to comedy as he previously wrote and directed I Love You, Man (2009) and Why Him? (2016), and also wrote the screenplays for classic comedies like Meet the Parents (2000) and Zoolander (2001), to name a few.
Sonny, a stay-at-home dad, finds himself with some "me time" for the first time in years while his wife and kids are away. He reconnects with his former best friend Huck for a wild weekend that nearly upends his life.
The film stars Kevin Hart, Mark Wahlberg, Regina Hall, Che Tafari, Amentii Sledge, Andrew Santino, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Naomi Ekperigin, Michelle DeShon, Jimmy O. Yang, and Ilia Isorelýs Paulino.
Me Time released exclusively on Netflix August 26th.
THE GOOD
Somehow I was caught off guard by the lack of marketing for this movie, at least from my minimal vantage point, especially considering the star power of Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg. It seemingly came out of nowhere, on the heels of another Hart Netflix movie, The Man from Toronto which I recently reviewed (full review here). I planned to watch it regardless for obvious reasons, but I wouldn’t say I was necessarily excited or had it circled on my calendar. Once it released, I was floored by the overwhelmingly negative reviews. I didn’t expect a direct-to-streaming comedy to be a hit with critics, but saying it is basically unwatchable is a far cry from a fun popcorn movie with enough laughs to keep you entertained. Plus to be fair, critics hammered The Man from Toronto pretty hard as well, and I found most of their issues to be unfounded which I talk about in my aforementioned review. Nonetheless, the harsh criticism actually moved Me Time up my watch list. Were the critics actually right this time, or did they once again overstep and let their seemingly miserable lives spill over into their supposedly unbiased reviews? Keep reading to find out!
Spoiler alert, Me Time is not nearly as bad as these critics want to lead you to believe. Is it a rudimentary buddy comedy that lacks substance and relies on brainless and sometimes borderline raunchy humor and corny dad jokes? You can bet your ass it is, but that’s okay. Maybe part of it is my low expectations going in, or just my love for Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart, but I actually enjoyed this movie. I laughed out loud more times than I expected to, and if I’m being honest to movie kept me mostly engaged from start to finish. The jokes that would likely be considered offensive by some people had me smiling ear to ear. For me the movie thrived just with the jokes, and the back and forth banter between characters, which often felt like it was unscripted which I am sure was the case. Director John Hamburg has been around long enough to know that sometimes it is okay to rely on your actors especially when you have this level of talent at your disposal. Hamburg’s direction and a strong cast lead to what I would consider to be a very watchable and easy to enjoy comedy.
As I mentioned already, a big pull for me with this movie was the cast. I love me some Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart, and I thought they were great together in this. The Dynamic was solid as far as a good buddy comedy, and the chemistry they shared was well above average. They both took advantage of their opportunities. Aside from Hart and Wahlberg, I loved the addition of my guy Andrew Santino, who those of you will likely recognize from the Lil Dicky series Dave. I really enjoyed his character, and for me he provided a ton of additional comic relief. Even though he plays a supporting role, the film does not work as well as it does without his character. I had a lot of fun with the back and forth dad jokes between Santino and Hart. Regina Hall was great as expected, and had genuine chemistry with Hart’s character.
It was a bit strange seeing Luis Gerardo Méndez in the film as I have been watching him in the Peacock series The Resort, but I liked his character. His accent is great. As far as the other supporting roles, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino cracked me up as the Uber Driver who becomes part of the crew. I don’t know if it was her effective use of dry humor, or the fact that she was big enough compared to Hart to pass as his babysitter, but her character fit nicely and helped to effectively move along the story. As far as the roles generally played by the kids in films like this, I was pleasantly surprised by Che Tafari, who played Hart’s son. Instead of just being sort of a placeholder character going through the motions, he had a certain on-screen presence that I was very impressed with and could see him flourishing if given the right roles in the future. He is slowly making a name for himself after playing a role in the 2021 HBO Max original comedy 8-Bit Christmas, and I look forward to watching him in the future. I also have to give a shout out to my guy Jimmy O. Yang, who I will always view as his Silicon Valley character Jian Yang. He has been on a bit of a hot streak playing these random supporting roles with Me Time, and also Easter Sunday which I recently reviewed (full review here).
THE BAD
Listen, I could talk all day about the issues with Me Time. It is often sloppy, many of the jokes are hit or miss dependent on your sense of humor, the plot is very cookie cutter, and the emotional element of the film is basically non-existent. But, the big question is do these issues ruin the movie or make it unwatchable, and if you have been paying attention during this review you already know the answer. This is a turn your brain off buddy comedy with two actors who can basically do whatever they want at this point in their careers. The special effects were cheesy as expected, but that wasn’t a big deal to me. The chemistry between Hart and Wahlberg alone makes it worth checking out, and as I have said time and time again, if you appreciate goofy comedies you will enjoy this movie. I could see the “sensitive generation” getting a little upset over some of the jokes, but that is probably what made me enjoy the movie even more.
THE VERDICT
A buddy comedy with a star-studded cast that admittedly lacks substance and misses as many jokes as it hits, Me Time still had me laughing out loud and isn’t nearly as bad as critics want to lead you to believe. Maybe it just appeals to my likely stunted and admittedly immature sense of humor, but I had fun with this movie and would have no issue watching it again or recommending it. Plus, the jokes that are likely offensive to some people are just that much funnier to me, and I am okay with that. I actually watched it solo and kept telling my wife about some of the funnier parts, which to be fair she seemed to be half listening and rolling her eyes, but that’s nothing new. She has a hard time appreciating my well-rounded sense of humor. Me Time is yet another easy to enjoy comedy from director John Hamburg, so do yourself a favor and check it out on Netflix.
TED TAKES RATING - 5.9/10
Me Time is now streaming on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.