CHRIS ROCK invited all of his friends to make a movie. And because his friends are Cedric the Entertainer and Jerry Seinfeld and Questlove and DMX, Top Fiveâlike Rock himselfâexists at the vibrant intersection of hiphop and stand-up comedy, drawing from both worlds without comment or conflict.
Rock stars as Andre Allen, a world-famous comedian best known for playing a cop (who is also a bear) in a blockbuster comedy franchise. Desperate to reinvent himself as a serious actor, Allen's pushing a vanity project about the Haitian slave revolt ("How many white people did they kill?"). No one's interested in his new movie, thoughâthey just want him to shout his catchphrase ("It's Hammy time!"), and maybe to dish on the details of his upcoming wedding to a reality TV star.
Things take a turn when a plucky New York Times reporter with boundary issues shows up. Chelsea (Rosario Dawson, Perfect Human) has been assigned to follow Andre around the city for a day. Over the course of their walk 'n' talk, they bond over politics, music, celebrity, comedy, and more. Forget the Woody Allen comparisonsâit's downright Linklater-esque.
Top Five's plot is uneven and its content occasionally eyebrow-raisingâan ill-timed gag about two prostitutes who threaten to cry rape lands with a thud that sounds suspiciously like a copy of Rolling Stone hitting the mailbox. But it's easy to forgive a few missteps, because the film's underlying sensibility is so smart, playful, and generous. If you don't smile while watching Rock and Dawson play double dutch with some little girls on the streets of New York, you're medically a monster and should probably seek help. If Seinfeld's vagina joke doesn't make you laugh, we can't be friends. Top Five isn't the best movie, but it's the best kind of movie, and I hope Rock gets the chance to make more like itâbecause he's only going to get better.