The new crowd-funded film from co-writer, co-director, and star Adam Carolla, Road Hard, sees the modern Renaissance man tapping into his own life experiences by playing a frustrated former TV star whose slagging career has forced him to make money by traveling the road as a standup act, all while growing increasingly beaten down by the red tape, empty talking heads, and soul-crushing hypocrisy of the entertainment industry. “Beat down” being the key words there, because Carolla’s character is one of the most inert, blank-faced protagonists we’ve gotten in a comedy in a long time.
Despite containing a handful of legitimate laughs, the script for 'Road Hard' is nearly as stiff and awkward as the screen presence (which could best be described as Frankensteinian) of the man who co-wrote and stars in it. This film feels like an extended version of the pilot episode of one of those sitcoms they give a standup comic—you know, where huge chunks of their stage act are still being used as clunky dialogue because a full writing team hasn't yet been assembled.
And what a dour mood this movie establishes and then wallows in, even in the scenes where the resigned-to-misery protagonist is supposedly breaking out of his shell and relocating his spark. For something that sticks so closely to classic comedic storytelling structure, 'Road Hard' sure can be a bummer to watch. Maybe Carolla and his writing partner would have had better results if they fully embraced their dark thoughts and just wrote a real tragedy instead of trying to juggle tones. You know that the man’s years of talking to troubled teens about their drug and sex abuse problems on the radio has to have provided plenty of fodder for story ideas that go in that direction. Why not leave the obligation to do comedy behind and swim around in that mess if your head is so clearly in a dark place right now? Road Hard is a big step back from the first comedy Carolla co-wrote and starred in, The Hammer, and the missing ingredients seem to be any trace of life or any sense of fun.
