Will Ferrell’s new film ‘Get Hard’ has been criticised for perpetuating homophobic and racist stereotypes.

The film, also starring Kevin Hart, shows Ferrell’s wealthy character sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud and embezzlement. So he enlists Hart to teach him how to survive in prison.

A running gag is that Ferrell’s character thinks that Hart has been in prison – though he hasn’t – a false assumption made by Ferrell because he is black.

Ferrell’s character hires Hart in the hopes of learning how to be masculine so he won’t be sexually assaulted in prison – that’s it, that’s the film.

At a viewing of the film – to be released March 27 – a member of the audience stepped up to the mic and told director Etan Cohen: “This film seemed racist as f–.”

According to Variety, Cohen “looked stunned as he stumbled for an answer” about the film’s numerous jokes about African Americans. “The truth is, that was a delicate balance to find,” Cohen said. “When we were testing the movie, Ferguson was going on. It was hard to modulate, how far to push it.”

In different scenes throughout the film, Hart impersonates a Hispanic prisoner – listing off stereotypical attributes – before a scene in which Will Ferrell’s character joins a white supremacist organisation for protection.

Ferrell decides to try to perform oral sex on a guy, and he takes an older man into a bathroom stall. “I’m going to suck your d–,” Ferrell says, but he’s disgusted by the thought.

The notion that Ferrell approaching an older man for consensual sex – whether or not the other man knows why this situation came about – is the same as prison rape is pretty homophobic, and audiences seemed to agree.

Another running joke has Ferrell shove objects up his anus as part of his prison prep.

At the Q&A, a second member of the audience wanted to know if the comedy was funny or perpetuating stereotypes. “When you do satire, that’s a big problem,” Cohen said. “That’s a dangerous thing. It’s a very small window — that’s what we’re trying to find.”

Check out the trailer below: