Kevin Hart's "Let Me Explain" Hits Theaters On July 4th

Kevin Hart is used to being the little guy — but this time he’s going up against huge action flicks, giant Hollywood stars and summer blockbusters.

The 5-foot-2 comic’s deeply personal standup special and travelogue, “Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain,” hits theaters Wednesday, opening on nearly as many screens as the Independence Day weekend’s wanna-be megahits.

But instead of fighting bad guys or saving the world, Hart opens up about his issues, problematic relationships and life on the road in an 83-minute film with a budget that likely wouldn’t cover the cape allowance on “Man of Steel.”

Not that Hart, 32, is worried.

“It’s a big weekend,” he tells the Daily News. “At one point in time, that weekend was owned by Will Smith. For me, now, to have a five-day weekend and an opportunity to open big, the result could be astronomical.

“It’s all about setting myself up to win.”
That’s what the Philadelphia native has done since breaking into the comedy business. He gave up on his blue-collar past and won fans at comedy clubs in New York and Los Angeles, riffing on his misadventures in love and parenting — such as a priceless rant about hiring an ex-con to play SpongeBob SquarePants at his daughter’s birthday party.

Hart delivers his jokes with an aggressive stage presence and an in-your-face and scrappy but friendly style. Even his concert titles (“I’m a Grown Little Man” and “Laugh at My Pain”) encourage the crowd to laugh at him as well as with him.

Original king of comedy? Nah. He gives it up to those who came before him, citing Eddie Murphy as a huge influence (even on his wardrobe, which almost always includes leather).

“I’m trying to be a modern-day Eddie Murphy, for lack of a better word,” Hart tells The News. “The things that that man achieved in his career are endless. He was so young and he was doing all the things he was doing. So for our time I’m trying to do those things and achieve those things, if not more. I wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t have that example.”

Yet Hart is, undeniably, a funny man of his own invention. And his loyal fan base is fiercely devoted. It’s the reason he says, of fellow July 4 weekend openers “The Lone Ranger” and “Despicable Me 2,” that he’s “not afraid.”

“My fans are loyal and supportive,” Hart says. “And I’m in a lane all by myself.”

He expanded his appeal with the 2011 concert film of “Laugh at My Pain,” which made almost $8 million from barely 300 theaters. He has also co-starred in mainstream films like “Along Came Polly,” “Think Like a Man” and “The Five-Year Engagement.” Even as “Let Me Explain” debuts, the comedian is also appearing in the just-opened apocalyptic comedy “This Is the End,” playing a slightly oversized version of himself.

But not even the end of the world can be as terrifying as what Hart does in “Let Me Explain”: Take the stage in a sold-out Madison Square Garden. It’s an honor he shares with only a special category of comedians, including Eddie Murphy, Dane Cook, Chris Rock, Andrew Dice Clay and George Carlin.

“At the time, I didn’t even think about it,” Hart said. “And in fact I didn’t think about it until I sat back and watched the film. Sometimes you don’t realize the magnitude of what you’re doing until you take a step back and look at it and just breathe.

“Now I can say: Wow, that’s a crazy accomplishment! To know that I’ve achieved goals that I’ve set out to do, that’s a big step for me. That’s huge.”

But it doesn’t mean he’ll change from the grownup little man his fans love.

“I’m staying true to the brand that I believe in, which is myself.”

TURN UP!!!!

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