<span>As one of the most popular comedians in the world for well over a decade, who has been </span><span>as successful in Hollywood as he has at stand-up, it makes sense that Kevin Hart has slowly started to pivot to more dramatic fare.</span> <span>That's exactly what comedians Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy</span><span> and Will Ferrell did during their careers, with their more serious turns proving that there was a depth and complexity to their talent</span><span>.</span> <span>However, it seems as though Hart isn't quite ready to completely leave the comedy genre behind just yet. That's because</span><span> </span><span><em>Fatherhood</em></span><span>, like the 2017 comedy-drama </span><span><em>The Upside</em></span><span>, in which Hart played a convict-turned-nurse who looks after a </span><span>paralysed billionaire (Bryan Cranston),</span><span> aims to be</span><span> as funny as it is serious.</span> <span>In </span><span><em>Fatherhood</em></span><span>, Hart plays recently widowed father Matthew Logelin, who struggles to raise his daughter, Maddy (Melody Hurd) after </span><span>the sudden death of his wife, Liz (Deborah Ayorinde), just after childbirth. </span> <span>Over several years we see how his friends Jordan (Lil Rel Howery) and Oscar (Anthony Carrigan) try to help his development, as well as his constant arguments with his mother-in-law Marian (Alfre Woodard), all of whom simply</span><span> want the best for him and Maddy</span><span>.</span> <span>Considering its incredibly dark subject matter, <em>Fatherhood</em></span><span> initially does a fine job of toeing the line between drama and comedy. Not only are Liz's death and Matthew's grief succinctly revealed within the opening 15 minutes, but the film gives a sense of the problems that will hamper him as he tries to be a single </span><span>father. All while still delivering laughs.</span> <span>The issue is that</span><span>, as it progresses, </span><span><em>Fatherhood</em></span><span> is not dramatic enough to truly captivate. It feels </span><span>familiar, especially when you consider that films such as </span><span><em>Jersey Girl</em></span><span>, </span><span><em>Definitely, Maybe</em></span><span>, </span><span><em>The Pursuit </em></span><span><em>of Happyness</em></span><span><em> </em></span><span>and</span><span><em> About </em></span><span><em>a Boy</em></span><span> each have similar plots that covered much of the same cinematic terrain.</span> <span>Hart's performance as Matthew is also a little lacking. </span><span>He never quite gets to the heart of Matthew's grief. Instead, he merely </span><span>comes across as forlorn rather than genuinely overwhelmed.</span> <span>It doesn't help that</span><span> you can always see Hart searching for a joke. Not only does this repeatedly disrupt </span><span><em>Fatherhood</em></span><span>'s tone, it means that the emotion of the movie is never able to fully resonate. That's not to say that it doesn't make for an enjoyable watch, though.</span> <span>While disjointed, its one hour,</span><span> 50-minute running time </span><span>plods along rather nicely</span><span>. More importantly than that, though, is the star-turning work of Hurd as Maddy. Despite only popping up in </span><span><em>Fatherhood</em></span><span> halfway through, she manages to steal pretty much every scene she's in with her fierce, hilarious</span><span> and thoughtful portrayal</span><span>.</span> <span>Ultimately, though, Hart is</span><span> the reason why </span><span><em>Fatherhood</em></span><span> is never able to reach the dramatic heights it is obviously aiming for, and the reason</span><span> it's never tedious and always watchable. There might be a great dramatic performance in him. </span> <span>But, if he’s going to find it, he needs to drop the comedy act, and fully commit to being serious.</span>