In a film that appears to track closely to his own real life story, Chris Rock plays a comedian (Andre Allen) who is trying to be taken seriously as an actor, while navigating the unusual public/private domain of being the unwitting side star of a reality TV series based on his upcoming wedding to his reality TV starlet fiancée.
By Keeva Stratton
Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson) is a NY Times reporter tasked with spending a day with Andre. She wants to experience what his life is really like, and follows him as he attends promotional press junkets and completes the outstanding tasks for his wedding.
Through Chelsea’s questions, Andre reveals many struggles, including alcohol addiction and the pressure to ‘stay true’ to his humble roots. He seems indebted to his fiancée, even though her reality TV show forces him to expose more of his life than he’d care to. On the flip side, we are also learning about Chelsea—her life as a single mum, her various failures in love and life, and her role as a film critic in impacting Andre’s self esteem. There’s an obvious chemistry between them, but there may not be a path forward.
Top Five is an interesting reflection on the pressures of stardom and the need to always be funny when comedy is what has made your name. It’s no secret that many of the professionals who make us laugh struggle with their own personal demons. Here we are given an insight into the human side of comedy, all while poking an appropriate amount of fun at the seriousness with which many funny people take themselves.
There’s plenty of rewarding moments for fans of Chris Rock, from callouts to his early material, to direct references of early comparisons between him and Eddie Murphy, and then Richard Pryor before both of them. Perhaps the most intriguing credit is that of co-producer Kanye West. Given the film’s blunt portrayal of the reality TV queen who wants her wedding filmed for prime time, one can only wonder what attracted West to the film—perhaps he too has a wonderful sense of humour.
Top Five is an interesting film. Part self-exploration, part self-deprecation, Top Five is spliced with the kind of shockingly funny comedy Chris Rock delivered so expertly in his early years.
Directed by: Chris Rock
Starring: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, Gabrielle Union
Rating: MA 15+
Runtime: 102 minutes
Release Date: 12 March
Reviewer rating: 3.5/5
