Prison rape isn’t funny

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:45:00 +0000

There are any number of reasons to cross "Hit & Run" off your summer must-see list. I could tell you that Tom Arnold has a prominent role in it, and we could wrap it up right there. I could say that while Dax Shepard is appealing enough on "Parenthood," he may not be Renaissance-man enough to direct, write, co-produce, co-edit and star in a major motion picture. But there's another reason for the stench emanating from this wacky caper.

The plot takes its cues from the barrage of road trips-run-amok comedies of recent years, notably "The Hangover" and "Due Date." Shepard, the poor man's Zach Galifianakis, is an ex-getaway driver in the Witness Protection Program who runs afoul of both the feds and his old gang. Late in the film's trailer, Shepard is confronted by his nemesis, played by a dreadlocked Bradley Cooper, who tells him the source of his quest for vengeance. "I got [bleeped] in prison." But wait! The joke doesn't end there! Shepard, whose character is wittily named "Charlie Bronson," asks, "Was it a black guy?"

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Prison rape isn’t funny