Chris Rock offers a glimpse of what life is like in the celebrity bubble, here playing comedian-turned-actor Andre Allen, who agrees to a day-long interview with New York Times journalist Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson). Standup comic Allen's fame and fortune derive from a starring role in a fictional trilogy of dumb Hammy the Bear movies, where he played a policeman's ursine partner. A recovering alcoholic, Allen has embarked on two midlife endeavors. Determined to be recognized as a serious artist, his new film is the historical drama Uprize! about a 1791 Haitian slave rebellion, and he's celebrating his upcoming wedding to beautiful Erica Long (Gabrielle Union), a shallow reality-TV star. As Andre and Chelsea walk-and-talk, they learn a great deal about each other, particularly when they encounter Allen's dad (Ben Vereen) in the neighborhood where he grew up. All of this is punctuated by hilarious cameos from Kevin Hart, JB Smoove, Tracy Morgan, Whoopi Goldberg, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, and Cedric the Entertainer. Writer-director Rock's Top Five is an ambitious film full of revealing observations about a black man working in a predominantly white business. Obviously influenced by Woody Allen—there are nods here to Annie Hall and Stardust Memories—the humor nevertheless sometimes feels superficially sketch-like. Recommended. [Note: Blu-ray/DVD Combo extras include audio commentary by director and star Chris Rock and costar JB Smoove, an “It's Never Just a Movie” production featurette (20 min.), a “making-of” featurette (11 min.), Andre Allen standup outtakes (7 min.), the “Top Five Moments You Didn't See in the Film” (5 min.), deleted scenes (4 min.), and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid behind-the-scenes fictional portrayal of life as a comic actor.] (S. Granger)
Top Five
Paramount, 102 min., R, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $39.99, Mar. 17 Volume 30, Issue 2
Top Five
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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