(Full disclosure, I pulled that from another review I read because it was too perfect)
Cast: Obviously, as the writer/director, Rock is the star of this and gave himself a role that he's very comfortable in. He's more or less playing a version of himself if he'd had a much more successful movie career. I've always heard that Rock is actually much quieter and more calculated than his stand up persona and a lot of that shines through. Rosario Dawson gets the best part I've seen her have in a while (granted, there are some gaps in what I've seen). Gabrielle Union and JB Smoove both get some good scenes in limited screen time. The rest of the movie is littered with familiar faces from Romany Malco to half the cast of SNL to Brian Regan ("Put a little stank on it"); Rock calling in a lot a favors from the look of it.
Plot: Rock plays Andre Allen, former funniest man alive, a stand-up turned comedy movie superstar trying to promote his new dramatic movie that no one is telling him is a stinker. The same weekend the movie is released, he is set to get married to his Bravo star fiance, played by Union. As part of his promotion for the movie, Andre agrees to do an New York Times interview with Dawson's character. She follows him as he makes all his publicity stops, asking questions in between. There's not much more to the plot. It's sort of a RomCom, if I'm going to be diminutive, so you can assume a lot of beats and it is quite funny at times.
Elephant in the Room: But really, is it any good? Look, I'm not wild about Rock's history. It's rare that a movie, even one that he writes, effectively uses his voice and comedy. I mean, Down To Earth and Head of State, while not horrible, are nowhere near as good as his standup. Consider me a skeptic going in, but it won me over. He's loose. He's funny. He's himself, within a character. The whole movie share's that feel too, as just about everyone gets to let loose at some point.
To Sum Things Up:
I can't fit this into a traditional genre. It's funny. You better believe it's funny with that cast. It's romantic. Rock and Dawson have a lot of chemistry. It's dramatic. Andre Allen goes deep in that extended interview about his highs and lows and why he doesn't think he can be funny anymore. It's all over the place in a great way. I don't see this being everyone's taste. All I can say is don't be scared aware by what you think a Chris Rock movie is going to be. It's worth giving it a chance.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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