MPAA Rated: R for strong sexual
content, nudity, crude humor, language throughout and some drug use
Running Time: 102 min.
Cast: Chris
Rock, Rosario Dawson, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Romany Malco, Anders
Holm, Cedric the Entertainer, Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones,
Sherri Shepherd Small role: Ben Vereen, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld,
Whoopi Goldberg, Luis Guzman, Jay Pharaoh, Michael Che, Charlie Rose,
Taraji P. Henson, Gabourey Sidibe, DMX, Brian Regan
Director: Chris Rock
Screenplay: Chris Rock Review published December 21, 2014
Chris Rock
(What to Expect When You're Expecting,
Bee Movie) stars as standup comedian-turned-movie star Andre Allen,
travelling through New York to promote his new movie, Uprize!,
which represents his first effort trying to branch out as an actor in an
important film about an 18th-century Haitian slave revolt. Following
Allen
around for the day is Chelsea Brown (Dawson,
The Captive), a reporter for the New York Times,
a newspaper that has, in the past, been a critical thorn in his side.
Allen is finding it hard to gain traction in his recent endeavor, as he
is continuously pigeonholed as the guy who did a trilogy of
action-comedies where he dressed like a bear named Hammy. Plus, his
movie's publicity is overshadowed by his upcoming wedding to a reality
TV star named Erica (Union,Think Like a
Man Too), who once helped him sober up, but now he's having a
familiar itch to go on a bender and escape from it all.
Rock explores the insanity and inanity of celebrity culture vs. artistic
integrity with Top Five, and while his previous two directorial
efforts,Head of State andI Think I Love My Wife,never really connected with audiences (though I do like the
latter), he's a more natural fit here essentially satirizing aspects of
his daily existence as a comedian and actor.
Some will compare
this film to Woody Allen's similarly introspective look at his own
celebrity angst and dealings with his critics in Stardust Memories,
but Rock brings so much of himself into the writing and characters
that it's truly his own feature, unlike any others. OK, one more
comparison to Woody: it's a beautiful looking film that captures New
York at its most alluring, shot with a sumptuous eye by cinematographer
Manuel Alberto Claro (Nymphomaniac Vol.
I), which, in combination from an adept music selection by The
Roots' ?uestlove, makes for some rich cinema above and beyond the
comedy.
Showing a wild mix of both good and bad as a director, Rock impresses
when going for the subtler moments, particularly when dabbling into bits
of drama, but he's not quite comfortable in keeping laughs at bay for
too long. Where he errs is in feeling like he needs to go all out
for the big laughs, especially when it comes to depictions of explicit
sexuality. When Rock's subject is about the career of a comedian
and movie-maker, he feels naturally at ease, as it becomes one of the
more quotable films of 2014.
When Rock tries to find humor through uncomfortable sexual situations
with explicit enactments worthy of a Sacha Baron Cohen movie, he feels
at his most uncomfortable and least assured. The movie's best
moments, as with Rock's best stand-up routines, come through his
observations on the racial, gender, and public policy quips, which truly
comes through during a bit where Rock actually takes the mic to do some
stand-up -- perhaps the one scene in the movie where he absolutely feels
100% in his element.
Top Five is a very uneven concoction in tone and tempo, but it hits its spots
more than most this ambitious, and the effort should increase interest in seeing what Rock can do
when as he matures into a more assured filmmaker in the future. It
won't make my top five this year, or even top ten, but at
the very least, it's not like anything he's done before, which echoes
the themes of the movie regarding that mix of doing what speaks to you
in combination to that which you do well.
A digression:
The "Top Five" of the film's title stems from a dialogue between Andre
and several other characters to give forth their opinions on who the top
five rappers of all time will be. Interestingly, there isn't much
consensus, but I'll offer here my own, as someone who was a hip-hop DJ
on college radio for over 11 years, as to who I personally respect the most
on the mic:
1. Melle Mel 2. Rakim 3. Big Daddy Kane 4. Kool
Moe Dee 5. Black Thought
Chris Rock
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