Review of Top Five (2014) by Keith C — 19 Mar 2016

Top Five is a hilarious, semi-autobiographical story of Chris Rock's character, Andre Allan, who became a Hollywood sensation due to a string of dumb comedies, but now wants to be taken seriously as a commendable actor, and unfortunately for him; the public won't accept it.

Chris Rock writes, directs, and stars in what is essentially his version of a Woody Allen film as the film chronicles a day in the life of the actor as he walks and drives through downtown New York while being interviewed by a New York Times reporter, played by Rosario Dawson.

Right from the get-go, this film is FUNNY and with Rock's witty/snarky line delivery, he turns basic everyday conversations into comedy gold. The supporting cast is chalk-full of appearances from comedians such as Cedric the Entertainer, J.

B. Smoove, Kevin Hart, Tracey Morgan, and Leslie Jones, but it's the ROCK-solid chemistry between Chris and Rosario that makes this film great. There isn't much in the way of plot, but the satire of the entertainment world and the parallels to Rock's own career make you feel like you're in on the joke and the tender dialogue feels genuine.

There is some funny stuff here including a HILARIOUS segment with one of Rosario's ex boyfriends that had me cracking up and a bizarre cameo near the end by rapper, DMX that floored me! This is a feel-good movie with intelligent humour, on-the-nose satire, and a pitch-perfect ending that left me smiling!