5 — Talib Kweli 4 — Gang Starr 3 — Nas 2 — Wu Tang
1 — Beastie Boys
Now that I’ve let it all hang out, I’ll spend a little time praising writer/director/star Chris Rock for doing the same on a much grander stage. Rock has always been someone whose comedy I find particularly hilarious, biting, and seemingly coming from a place of wisdom and insight. Admittedly I’m no Rock expert, but I’ve always kind of pulled for the guy, in spite of feeling like his actual acting talents are perhaps not the strongest element in his formidable skill set. So while a lot of my thoughts about Top Five do concern the enjoyable movie itself, the creation and distribution of the film is equally important to discuss.
Rock wrote, directed, and funded the film independently. And when it played to strong buzz at the Toronto International Film Festival, it ignited a bidding war which ultimately appears to have been won by Paramount Pictures, who are distributing it as a wide release film. This kind of thing happens in the film world all the time, but not usually with a person like Rock who has been a leading man and ensemble star in dozens of studio projects over the course of a couple of decades. It appears that Rock looked at the roles and opportunities that were being offered to him and made the choice to create his own opportunities. This type of choice is much harder than most people probably give credit for. Top Five was a major risk, a huge investment of time and resources that guaranteed him or his team absolutely nothing. (Although in fairness, I’m sure Rock had the money needed to not make this risk a real deal breaker for him). His choice paid off, if the buzz around the film is any indication. I guess the jury is still out on whether the box office will vindicate Rock’s choice as well.
Perhaps I’ve spent so much time discussing the origin of the film and how far outside the box Rock had to go in order to make it precisely because in the end the film is remarkably conventional. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and found Top Five to be refreshing, romantic, incisive, and laugh out loud funny. But it accomplishes all of that within a specific and time-tested formula. This is a romantic comedy. A walk and talk film. An “it happened one weekend” fairy tale. A tale of self realization and the fulfilling of one’s true potential. Rock plays world famous comedian/movie star Andre Allen. Having starred in the wildly popular and wholly silly Hammy franchise, in which Allen stars as an anthropomorphic bear who is also a cop, Allen has gotten sober and wants to launch a serious film career. There’s also an impending marriage to reality tv star Erica Long (Gabrielle Union) just around the corner. Inject into that mix a long form interview that Allen has agreed to with reporter Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson), who follows him around on his publicity tour. An obvious chemistry develops between them, including a shared experience of recovery programs, and that romantic comedy formula kicks into high gear. A series of obstacles and plot developments will keep our leads from realizing they are perfect for each other, and familiar rhythms play out in a satisfying way. All of it builds to a pitch-perfect conclusion which was so well done I actually got goosebumps.
So if Top Five rarely tries to break free from formula, what makes it so good? Rock’s writing is both hilarious and goes to places that a studio likely never would have allowed. The story is stripped down and feels lived in. This is not the wacky hijinks of a secret agent or a gross out comedy. It is the way-close-to-the-truth story of a successful black man trying to find his way in a system that wants to keep him drunk and funny when remaining that way will kill him. The mechanics are familiar, but the setting and characters are not what we get to see very often. Another major weapon in Top Five’s arsenal is an intoxicating Rosario Dawson. This may be the best role I’ve ever seen her in, which is no small feat since she’s largely great in most of her performances. She’s a sparring partner for Rock’s character, and stands toe to toe with him throughout, while also making the whole audience fall in love with her. This is a surprisingly romantic film and Dawson sells that element almost single handedly. The final and biggest “plus column” item I’ll mention is that Top Five is just really damn funny. I had a few belly laughs, and was otherwise regularly laughing or smiling throughout. Rock uses his connections to bring in some heavy hitting cameos which I won’t spoil, but which pay off in a big way.
So if you want to be entertained and support the unique vision of one of our funniest black comedians who perhaps hasn’t been given a chance at something like this before, and who therefore grabbed the reins and made it happen for himself, give Top Five a watch. While certainly working within a well-worn formula, Top Five still manages to feel fresh. Get excited. Chris Rock is back.
And I’m Out.