Top Five Review

Top Five Is Alive!

Whenever one hears about celebrities having problems, it can be easy to brush off such problems by thinking their large wealth means their problems are inconsequential. But the likes of Tom Hanks and Angelina Jolie can have everyday quandaries and worries; they are human beings after all, and human beings are naturally going to have problems to face. This kind of scenario is at the crux of Top Five, a feature written, directed and starring Chris Rock that's surprising in it's depth and effectiveness.

Andre Allen (Chris Rock) is a movie star looking to be taken seriously after doing comedies that he despises, but the public adores. While promoting a new movie, he spends a day with a New York Times reporter, Chelsea (Rosario Dawson), while also dealing with his forthcoming marriage to a reality star. The use of a fake movie star in actual Hollywood and interacting with real celebrities calls to mind Tropic Thunder, though Top Five goes in a more dramatic direction, having Chelsea's interview open up more personal answers from Andre.

As you can tell, Chris Rock has a lot to do with this production, and he does pretty well handling it. I thought the script had some examples of clunky dialogue, namely with one line from Chelsea early on in the film that blatantly telegraphs the ending of the movie, but it still manages to come up with nice moments of interactions between the characters that help them feel really alive. The conversations between Allen and Chelsea are staged in a suitably simple manner, just the two walking down the street, but the engaging words they exchange make the scenes nicely compelling.

It's when he's a lead actor though that I felt Rock really excelled, especially in handling the more dramatic moments. A moment where he's doing press for a satellite radio station, and he's told to put some "stank" in his vocal performance, has a great moment where Allen simple stares at the microphone. His look expresses instant frustration and sorrow, as he wonders if he'll ever escape his life of comedy without ever speaking a word. That kind of nuance is all over Top Five, and it's a big reason for it's success.

The story, which is paced well and forgoes a 2+ hour runtime like other R rated comedies (this is more of a drama, but you get my point), comes to a conclusion that's pleasing in it's straightforwardness, with no convoluted plot points being tossed in solely for the sake of concocting more drama. Rock understands this story needs to be told in a smaller scope in order to get it's more personal ideals across, and that choice helps make the movie so entertaining. And while you'll be laughing in several spots, what I think most will take away from Top Five is what I got from it; it's contemplative perspective on one man's journey through simultaneous public fame and personal obscurity.