You’ve seen the posters. Usually, it’s a tiny, frantic man standing next to a massive, muscular dude like Dwayne Johnson or John Cena. Kevin Hart has basically cornered the market on the "odd-couple action comedy," and honestly, it works. But if you’re trying to figure out what movies is Kevin Hart in right now, the list has grown way beyond just yelling in a jungle.
His filmography is a weird, high-speed journey from bit parts in the early 2000s to being the guy Netflix calls when they need a guaranteed hit. He’s not just the "funny guy" anymore; he’s a massive producer and, occasionally, a serious actor.
The Early Days and That One Cameo Everyone Remembers
Before he was selling out football stadiums for stand-up, Hart was just a guy trying to stay in the frame. If you look back at The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), he has this one-scene cameo as a Smart Tech customer. It’s maybe two minutes long. He gets into a verbal sparring match with Romany Malco that is so fast and aggressive it almost steals the whole movie.
Most people forget he was also a staple in the parody era. He was in Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4 playing CJ. He even popped up in Epic Movie and Superhero Movie. It was a lot of "blink and you'll miss him" energy back then. He was building a brand, even if we didn't know it yet.
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Then 2014 happened. Ride Along changed everything. Pairing him with Ice Cube was a stroke of genius. It took the classic buddy-cop trope and leaned entirely into Hart's ability to be confidently wrong about everything. That movie didn't just do well; it spawned a sequel and proved he could carry a franchise.
The Big Blockbusters: Jumanji and The Rock Era
You can't talk about his career without mentioning the "Rock-Hart" cinematic universe. They have this chemistry that feels like a real-life bickering brotherhood.
- Central Intelligence (2016): This is where the magic started. Hart plays the "straight man" for once, while The Rock is the weird, unicorn-loving CIA agent.
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) & Jumanji: The Next Level (2019): These are absolute monsters at the box office. Hart plays Franklin "Mouse" Finbar. Watching a grown man act like he’s an avatar for a confused teenager or an elderly Danny Glover is genuinely top-tier physical comedy.
- Hobbs & Shaw (2019): Even in a Fast & Furious spinoff, he managed to worm his way in for a hilarious cameo as an Air Marshal.
The Shift to Netflix and Serious Roles
Recently, things have changed. Hart signed a massive deal with Netflix, which is why your home screen is probably covered in his face. But he’s also trying to prove he has range.
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Fatherhood (2021) was a bit of a shock to the system. No slapstick. No screaming. Just a story about a widower raising his daughter. It showed a vulnerability that people didn't think he had. He followed that up with True Story, a limited series that was dark, gritty, and honestly pretty stressful.
Then you have the high-concept Netflix stuff like Lift (2024), where he’s a master thief doing a heist on a plane. It’s polished, it’s expensive, and it’s very "Global Superstar Kevin Hart."
The Latest Projects (2025-2026)
As of right now, in early 2026, he’s still moving at a breakneck pace. 72 Hours is the big one people are talking about this summer. It’s a Netflix comedy directed by Tim Story—the same guy who did Ride Along—and it’s about a 40-year-old guy who accidentally gets added to a group chat of 20-somethings and ends up at their bachelor party. It’s classic Hart territory: a fish-out-of-water story where he’s definitely too old for the chaos.
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And for the gamers out there, we finally saw him take a swing at a grittier role in Borderlands as Roland. It was a polarizing movie, for sure, but seeing him play a soldier instead of the comic relief was a big pivot.
What Really Makes a Kevin Hart Movie?
Honestly, it’s the energy. Whether he’s a rabbit in The Secret Life of Pets (Snowball is arguably his best "role") or a guy trying to survive a night school class with Tiffany Haddish, the formula is consistent. He’s the underdog. He’s usually the shortest guy in the room with the biggest mouth.
But if you look closely at his recent filmography, you'll see a man who is tired of just being the joke. He’s producing almost everything he’s in now through his company, Hartbeat. He’s controlling the narrative.
A Quick Cheat Sheet of Must-Watch Hart Movies
- For the laughs: The Wedding Ringer or Get Hard.
- For the kids: Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.
- For the action: The Man from Toronto (he’s great with Woody Harrelson).
- For the "Wait, he can act?" factor: The Upside (with Bryan Cranston).
Moving Forward
If you want to keep up with his career, the best move is to watch his stand-up specials alongside the movies. His latest, Acting My Age (2025), actually gives a lot of context into why he's picking the roles he is now. He's leaning into the "elder statesman of comedy" vibe.
To see the full evolution, start with his small role in Paper Soldiers from 2002 and work your way up to 72 Hours. It's a wild ride. You’ll see a guy go from a "funny sidekick" to a literal mogul who owns the studio. Check out his production credits on IMDB too; he’s often the guy behind the scenes making the movies happen, even if he isn't the one on the poster.