Before I saw a single frame of Chris Rock‘s Top Five, the buzz suggested it was some kind of riotous comedy that would have me bent over with laughter, but it’s not, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s more a drama with comedic aspects and very much a cousin to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s Birdman in that it tells the story of an actor whose heyday as a mainstream celebrity appears to be behind him and as a result, he’s looking at an indeterminate future.
Rock plays Andre Allen, best known as the star of the Hammy the Bear trilogy of movies. The Hammy character was a police officer that was either dressed as a bear or supposed to be an actual bear, I couldn’t tell, but now Andre is putting all that behind him as he focuses on more serious fare such as his latest Haitian slave drama Uprize and his upcoming nuptials with reality television star Erica Long (Gabrielle Union).
Top Five and Birdman diverge where in Birdman the lead character is searching for relevance, both personal and professional, while in Top Five, Andre is searching for himself, most specifically the confidence he lost as he decided to get sober after years of alcoholism. By the time the film comes to an end a theme of “be true to yourself” is clearly evident, but I wouldn’t necessarily argue with the “glass half-empty” crowd that may see a “don’t try anything new” commentary weaved in there as well, even if I don’t see it that way myself.
Presented over the course of one day in New York City, Andre is doing promotion for his new film when his agent (Kevin Hart) suggests he participate in an interview piece with the “New York Times”. Reluctantly he agrees despite the fact the “Times” has torn him apart at every opportunity. Enter Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson), a somewhat aloof, straight-to-the-point freelancer for the “Times” who will go on a walking tour of New York with Allen, and I don’t think I really need to tell you where the story tends to go from there.
This isn’t a high-concept feature narratively, but the way it sort of tears down the idea of celebrity, fame in a social media conscious society and our willingness (or lack thereof) to be ourselves both publicly and privately is where it finds a lot of its traction.
Performance wise, Rock and Dawson are very good together, he essentially delivering a standard Chris Rock performance and she bringing a strong, natural performance we haven’t really seen since 25th Hour. We tend to forget that Dawson can act, but too often she’s cast in thankless roles or altogether thankless films. The relationship between Andre and Chelsea comes about naturally through their personalities to the point it feels authentic, or at the very least believable.
There are a couple narrative twists and turns here and there with Rock giving his supporting cast more than enough time to shine individually on screen as there are cameos galore. Kevin Hart gets his moment, Tracey Morgan his, “Saturday Night Live” newcomer (a personal favorite) Leslie Jones is wonderful and just wait until you see Jerry Seinfeld “make it rain” with a wad of hundreds.
Rock, who not only stars but also directs and wrote the script, doesn’t go for the jugular with the comedy and that’s a good thing. He plays it slow, but certainly not safe. It has more than its fair share of raunchy bits, Andre huddled up naked on a bed with stains I’ll let your imagination explain is just one example. Not only funny, Top Five is also sincere and really takes a hard look at the idea of today’s celebrity to the point Andre’s agent suggests that if his latest film flops, “Dancing with the Stars” might be in his future. The idea such a situation could happen being used as a threat speaks volumes and Union has a great scene in which her character bares her soul, acknowledging what she is and has as a result of the fame she so desperately seeks.
Top Five should play well with most audiences, but I also think it’s a film that will most resonate with certain generations as the title comes from Andre and his friends’ ranking of their top five favorite rappers of all-time. So beef up on your KRS-One, Biggie, Jadakiss and 2Pac so you’re in the know, but don’t worry too much if you aren’t familiar, it’s only a “tie that binds” throughout the narrative, which is largely driven by Kanye and Jay-Z’s “Ni**as in Paris“, which I’m sure most of you will know.
This is not the laugh riot that’s being sold as much as it is a sweet and sincere drama with comedy peppered throughout most every scene. It never really tackles Andre’s battle with alcoholism too hard, leaving any kind of risks for the comedic aspects, letting the more stereotypical narrative play out unencumbered. This to say I wasn’t raving by the time it was over, but it’s a very easy film to recommend for anyone looking for a satisfying time at the movies.
