Party on with Kevin Hart, He-Man and Odysseus this movie weekend
Watch an A-list comedian crash a bachelor party in the Netflix comedy "72 Hours' and a "Big Bang Theory" mainstay star in "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe."
Brian Truitt- Kevin Hart stars with a trio of "SNL" youngsters in Netflix comedy "72 Hours."
- "Big Bang Theory" gets a nerdy spinoff with "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe."
- It's time to catch up with "The Odyssey" if you haven't seen it yet.
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Here's a thought experiment: If you're heading for a night out, do you invite Kevin Hart?
In real life, maybe a good idea – he seems like a cool dude. On screen, it's more of a killjoy situation. In the new Netflix comedy "72 Hours," Hart teams with a trio of "Saturday Night Live" youngsters for a three-day bachelor party that goes very wrong. Any old "Big Bang Theory" fans streaming this weekend will want to check out HBO Max's "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe," a spinoff sitcom with an unlikely hero. And if you're itching to hit up the movie theater, it's a slow weekend for fresh fare so perhaps it's time you saw (or rewatched!) "The Odyssey," ideally in glorious 70mm IMAX.
Now on to the good stuff:
See Kevin Hart crash young dudes' party in Netflix's '72 Hours'

In Netflix's "72 Hours" (streaming now), comedian Kevin Hart plays a 40-year-old ad man who accidentally winds up on the group text of four 20-something guys planning a three-day bachelor party weekend in Miami and then causes chaos when he gets invited to the thing. My bud Brendan Morrow chatted with "SNL" regulars Marcello Hernández, Ben Marshall and Kam Patterson about working with Hart and also coming to grips with folks even younger than them. "Some of the stuff we said when we were little, we at least tried to make it make some sense," says Hernández. "But, like, 6-7 made no sense."
As for the movie itself, "72 Hours" isn't one of Hart's better comedy outings. (Peep my ★½ review.) There are plenty of options for new streaming flicks this weekend, though, including 1980s-tastic adventure "Masters of the Universe" on Prime Video and pickleball comedy "The Dink" on Apple TV.
Stream the 'Big Bang' spinoff 'Stuart Fails to Save the Universe'

For those fans of the "The Big Bang Theory" who thought "Young Sheldon" wasn't nerdy enough, now there's "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe." The sitcom spinoff (now streaming on HBO Max) centers on comic-book store owner Stuart, who accidentally breaks a dimension-traveling device, triggering a multiversal Armageddon, and now he's got to team up with girlfriend Denise (Lauren Lapkus) and other "Big Bang" mainstays to save the universe.
My LA colleague Bryan Alexander talked with Sussman about the show, how he ignored the advice of "Captain Marvel" star Brie Larson and the four years he actually worked in a comic shop while attending acting school. "It's a great job for an actor, since nothing really urgent ever happens at a comic-book store," Sussman says.

Catch up with the best movie of the year (so far), 'The Odyssey'

If you haven't heard, there's a little movie called "The Odyssey" that's out now. Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster made a ton of money its first weekend, and it's also the best film so far this year. It's such a phenomenon, in fact, that our resident Homer reporter Patrick Ryan and others have filed more must-read coverage of the epic adaptation:
- Samantha Morton waited decades for a role like the witchy Circe.
- With Lupita Nyong'o, Nolan's casting of Helen of Troy is a chef's kiss. Also, don't listen to the haters: Elliot Page is actually one of the best parts of "The Odyssey."
- Check out some other movies and books based on Homer's classic. (I highly recommend "O Brother Where Are Thou" myself.)
- Nolan's "Odyssey" does make one very large change from the original.
- Emily Wilson's modern translation of "The Odyssey" is powering new book sales. But does Nolan's movie – like his others – have a problem with female characters?
- Missed out on IMAX 70mm tickets? There are still ways to find good seats. Just know that when you do see "The Odyssey," there's a trailer playing that's frightening audience members.
Even more goodness to check out!
- Tom Hiddleston gets real about what he was afraid to show while hosting the docuseries "Pompeii: Out of Time."
- Michelle Hadley speaks out on the Netflix documentary "A Toxic Love Story" and being framed for a crime she didn't commit.
- Alan Ritchson talks all things action, from new flick "Motor City" to upcoming "Reacher" Season 4.
- Season 3 of Disney+'s "Percy Jackson" show is making a tweak to Rick Riordan's book series.
- And have you been waiting to hear what Robert Downey Jr. will sound like as Doctor Doom? The newest Marvel villain's voice is revealed in the latest trailer for "Avengers: Doomsday."
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.