With the holiday season approaching, there are a lot of movies out there vying not just for attention from awards voters this December, but from audiences too. And over the next couple weeks, there's something for everyone at the box office, from family films to the annual Oscar bait to YA action to the final chapter in a certain juggernaut fantasy franchise. But if you haven't already, you should go ahead and add Chris Rock's "Top Five" to your December movie wishlist.
In the film (which he also wrote and directed), Rock stars as Andre Allen, a formerly beloved comedian trying to make the transition to "serious actor" status with his latest movie, a failed Oscar-bait retelling of the Haitian Revolution. At the same time, his reality-star fiancée (Gabrielle Union) plans their made-for-TV wedding and a New York Times reporter (Rosario Dawson) attempts to interview Allen about the reason behind his sudden career shift.
So with all the competition out there this awards season, why should you check out "Top Five" when it hits theatres? Here are five good reasons.
1. See what the buzz is about.
"Top Five" premiered to strong reviews when it screened at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September, kicking off a bidding war for the film's distribution rights; the eventual deal ended up being one of the biggest of the fest. With its crowd-pleasing cameos and Rock's assured return to leading-man status, it's pretty easy to understand why people were so keen on landing "Top Five." And now you're able to see for yourself what all the fuss was about (along with whether or not it was worth the hefty price tag).
2. It's the Chris Rock comeback you didn't realize you've been waiting for.
Many are calling "Top Five" Rock's best movie in years, although that's not exactly saying a whole lot, given the comedian's last few projects. It's been seven years since Rock last wrote, directed, and starred in a movie, and critics didn't exactly flip over "I Think I Love My Wife." Ditto for his recent appearances in the "Grown Ups" and "Madagascar" franchises.
According to an early movie sit-down with Charlie Rose in "Top Five," Allen was once considered "the funniest man in America," and the same certainly applies to Rock. But for all his considerable comic talents, Rock's never really been considered a true "movie star." It's always felt like there was an extra gear he couldn't quite reach. Here though, the actor/writer/director seems to have figured out a way to play to his strengths. So "Top Five" marks something of an unofficial comeback for the comedian, a return to the type of honest, incisive comedy on which Rock originally made his name in his stand-up act. And whether you've been waiting for that or not, it's still awfully good to see.
3. The supporting cast is just as good.
One of the biggest knocks on Rock's last outing ("I Think I Love My Wife") was the movie's thinly-drawn female characters, and in "Top Five," he's made a concerted attempt to rectify that. It helps that he's got two strong actresses in Rosario Dawson and Gabrielle Union opposite him, and both challenge his character in vastly different ways. The movie's still very much a standard rom-com (more on that in a minute), but Dawson's Chelsea makes for an interesting foil to the initially closed-off Allen. And despite playing a reality TV diva, Union invests the character with more depth than you'd expect, making the most of her limited screen time. And she looks even better compared to the one-note sidekick played by J.B. Smoove.
4. It's probably the best rom-com of the season.
For all its winking, meta moments and Woody Allen-esque walking and talking around New York City, "Top Five" actually ends up following a relatively traditional formula. See, all that celebrity culture satire is hung over top of a familiar romantic-comedy skeleton: movie star meets journalist, gets journalist, loses journalist, etc, etc. But that's not necessarily a bad thing; it gives a clearly defined structure to what could have easily devolved into a meandering vanity project. Of course, sticking to that structure also means that some of the movie's major plot points and big turns sprout more from Hollywood cliché than realistic, relatable moments. But as Chelsea says in her opening monologue, sometimes a movie is just a movie. And in this case, "Top Five" is a very good one.
5. All those cameos.
"Top Five," which takes its title from the film's repeated motif of having characters list their all-time top five favourite hip-hop artists, also includes a grab bag of cameos from famous comedians who'd probably make a lot of fans' own top five lists. Kevin Hart appears as Allen's agent, and a host of current and recent "Saturday Night Live" cast members show up, along with Jerry Seinfeld, Rock's former "SNL" co-star-turned-movie star Adam Sandler, and Whoopi Goldberg. And while it's especially great to see Tracy Morgan on-screen again, it's "SNL" writer Leslie Jones that proves to be one of the biggest scene-stealers, along with Cedric the Entertainer, who manages to turn a soft-focus pillow fight fantasy into a hard-R nightmare that you won't be able to unsee.
Rock clearly called in a lot of favours for "Top Five," and just lets his funny friends do what they do best: riff. And the move undoubtedly paid off. In fact, it's almost impossible to decide on a top five of the best cameos; they're hands-down one of the best parts about the movie -- well, aside from seeing Rock return to the top of his game, that is.
"Top Five" is now playing in select theatres.
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