Get Hard was an underrated comedy film with an impressive cast. Will Ferrell, Alison Brie and Kevin Hart provided the star power to help the movie find success at the box office. The couple of James King and Alissa Barrow was played by Ferrell and Brie at the start of the film. Their story is portrayed throughout the movie as King tries to get tough before being sent to prison after getting framed for embezzling money.
We will look at some of the under the radar things about the characters portrayed by Ferrell and Brie. No one will accuse Get Hard of being a legendary film, but it provided entertainment at the box office and is the perfect film to randomly watch at midnight on network television when airing. Find out a few things you can look for when watching it back. These are ten things in Get Hard you missed about Will Ferrell and Alison Brie’s characters.
James mocked Yale as Harvard grad
The rivalry between ivy league schools Harvard and Yale was referenced in Get Hard by James King. Will Ferrell’s character was established as graduating from Harvard to land his corporate job. Kevin Hart’s character Darnell Lewis is a car wash attendant tasked with trying to toughen up King.
A comment from Lewis calls out the troubles that King will face in prison. The response from James during one of their first scenes in such manner is that Darnell must have him confused with someone from Yale. The little pot shot is a realistic thing that would be said between rivals from each school.
Alissa’s giant photo in their closet
The egotistical nature of Alissa Barrow made her a different style of character played by Alison Brie. This character is portrayed as a gold digger that enjoys the high life. Barrow demands that her husband James King continues making money to buy an even bigger mansion.
Get Hard opens with a scene looking at the home of Barrow and King. One Easter egg about Alissa’s character is that she has a massive photo up in their closet. The image is shown in two scenes and is clearly a huge part of the closet décor.
James embraces Mayo nickname
James King toughens up by learning how to improve his street smarts before entering prison. Darnell decides that introducing him to a gang known as the Crenshaw Kings is the best way to form alliances that could help him once his sentence starts.
Rapper T.I. plays the leader of the gang that has a few comedic scenes with King. The group refers to him as Mayo which eventually becomes his nickname. King even sports a hat with the word “Mayo” on it later in the film as he tries to change his look.
Alissa’s huge engagement ring
Alison Brie did a great job portraying the happiness of Alissa Barrow any time she benefited from wealth. The couple throws a huge engagement party at the mansion that results in James getting arrested for the embezzlement.
One interesting little nugget in the scene is the camera getting a nice shot of Barrow’s massive engagement. It wasn’t a surprise by any means given the nature of the couple, but the visual of the ring is still a bit shocking when you get a good look at it.
James accidentally finds out Martin framed him
The big reveal of the movie is when James finds out that Alissa’s father Martin Barrow was the one that framed him. Martin was the head of the hedge fund company that employed James and used his former future son in law as the person to take the fall.
James finds out when explaining the situation and the company makeup to Darnell. This graph created by King clearly shows Martin is responsible, but he doesn’t even realize it. Darnell is the one that puts it together. The fun graph can easily be overlooked since it was a relatively quiet scene.
Alissa tries to run away while on a boat
The end of the movie sees James and Darnell sneaking on Martin’s yacht in an attempt to find the computer with the proof. Martin and Alissa both try to talk James into going along with their plan and run away to start a new life together.
When James turns it down and the U.S. Marshalls show up, Alissa is seen running away to the back. Most people would have the instinct of running away in that scenario, but there was nowhere to go since she was on a boat. The next visual shows Martin getting arrested with Alissa in tears.
James studied Lil Wayne and Jay-Z to learn
James King’s problematic stereotypes are a huge part of his character for most of the movie. The interactions with Darnell are quite cringeworthy by design. At the start of the film, King mistakes Darnell trying to give him his keys after dropping them with a mugger trying to rob him.
Another moment comes later when James reveal he was studying the music of Lil Wayne and Jay-Z to understand “the culture” more. The new outfits and mentality make a few references to both artists in an under the radar scene.
Alissa’s flirty golf lessons
One scene that implied Alissa was a gold digger came shortly after the relationship ended with James. Upon returning and having time to get his affairs in order, James asks Alissa to run away with him when finding her at the country club. Alissa decides to dump him upon the loss of his success.
A later scene shows Alissa at the golf course with her friends and with her father Martin. The flirty scene only lasts a few seconds in the background and features her getting a bit close with the golf instructor. An implication is made she was not faithful to James with her free time going down in scenarios like this.
James finally getting handshake was his redemption moment
The journey of James’ character sees him go from being a privileged jerk to understanding others more. James and Darnell both understand and appreciate each other more after their moments together. Darnell shut down the idea of James wanting a cool handshake on a few occasions.
The big moment of James finding redemption after improving as a person and forming the friendship is Darnell finally agreeing to give him one. A handshake may seem like a forgettable thing in the movie, but it was the turning point for James’ character.
Alissa shuts down John Mayer’s flirting
John Mayer makes a cameo in the movie as himself performing at the engagement party of James and Alissa. The scene sees Mayer and King playing guitar together on stage when the party is interrupted with the arrest of James.
Alissa does seem crushed as her future husband is taken away in handcuffs. Mayer makes a comment flirting with her asking if she’ll need a friend during this tough time. To her credit, Alissa is visibly disgusted and shuts down the advances of the musical superstar.
