A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality television star fiancée talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her television show.A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality television star fiancée talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her television show.A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality television star fiancée talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her television show.
- Awards
- 5 wins & 21 nominations
- Jazzy Dee
- (as Cedric the Entertainer)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaChris Rock wrote the screenplay in his trailer during the filming of Grown Ups 2 (2013).
- Quotes
Andre Allen: A lot of people don't like dates. It's like, "I hate dating. I hate dating."
Andre Allen: I like dates. Dates are cool.
Andre Allen: 'Cause a date means someone is considering fucking you.
Andre Allen: They have to, like, ponder it. It's just...
Andre Allen: Anybody you can eat with, you might have a chance of fucking.
Andre Allen: So, and they're just pondering fucking you.
Andre Allen: They're weighing it in their head. They're going...
Andre Allen: Girls are going, "His dick, my mouth. I wonder."
Andre Allen: And even if it doesn't happen, you just feel... I feel good.
Andre Allen: I mean, any day somebody thinks about fucking you is a good day.
- Crazy creditsDuring the end credits, Jerry Seinfeld gives his top five.
- SoundtracksNiggas In Paris
Written by Jay-Z (as Shawn C. Carter), Mike Dean, Reverend W. A. Donaldson, Hit-Boy (as Chauncey Alexander Hollis) and Ye
Performed by Ye & Jay-Z (as Jay-Z)
Contains a sample of "Baptizing Scene"
performed by Reverend W. A. Donaldson
Published by EMI Blackwood Music Inc. on behalf of itself, Papa George Music and Please Gimme My Publishing (BMI), Songs of Universal, Inc. on behalf of itself and U Can't Teach Bein The Shhh, Inc., WB Music Corp. (ASCAP) on behalf of itself and Carter Boys Music and Unichappell Music, Inc. (BMI).
Courtesy of Roc-A-Fella Records, L.L.C. under license
from Universal Music Enterprises, Atlantic Recording Corp by arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV licensing
The basic premise has more than a touch of Stardust Memories - in case you can't tell, which is possible, Woody Allen is one of Rock's heroes - as Allen doesn't want to do funny movies anymore (he's been "Hammy the Bear" for three films, making this kind of a double-bill/companion piece for this year's Birdman), and has a new, serious work where he plays a Haitian white-man-killing revolutionary. He's spending this one day going around New York city, promoting the film, visiting his family, doing this and that, and he's tagged along by a journalist (Rosario Dawson, who is terrific here by the way), who wants a personal-profile scoop. He's not having it, at first, but over the course of a day and night and lots of memories of things gone wrong - he was/is an alcoholic, as she is, conveniently enough - he opens up.
Again, not a strong story entirely, though it has its moments. Really, it's actually the moments that Rock wins best at here: when he goes to visit his family (first his father, who seems to be kind of a bum but it's funny/sad seeing Allen have to haggle with him over money) and how they all rag on him, and he rags on them back, you can see the warmth and improvisation going on (how much is scripted is anyone's guess, but the tone is just right and the jokes all work in this piece). His set pieces, mostly in the flashbacks, keep bringing the comedy forward and he has many, many funny lines, but even funnier situations for his actors. Cedric the Entertainer especially steals his scenes, but the same can go for Kevin Hart, JB Smoove (to an extent, though he has really one shtick), and even Brian Regan in an uncredited cameo. And DMX... Jesus.
A lot of the film also hinges on Rock and Dawson, and despite a third act reveal (is it a twist?) that made me roll my eyes, their chemistry really sells much of the film. He has just great dialog for the two of them to play off one another, so that we can still buy *them* even if not always the story or situations that develop.
And, again it must be stressed, the movie is funny. Sometimes it's very funny - I'd be remiss to forget that Seinfeld and Adam Sandler show up at a bachelor party and had me crying laughing - and that helps it make it just an unabashed crowd-pleaser first, cutting satire second, which I think was really Rock's goal here. Whether he was trying to also make a GREAT film, I don't know. At its very best, it does come closer than any Rock film to show the sorts of topics he does in his stand up brought to a dramatic context, like the whole marriage-TV-show sub-plot with Gabrielle Union (who is also fantastic here).
But hey, for a night out - as a date-night movie it's especially adept - it works, and it'll get you thinking about your own Top Five after a while. Or if you'd ever see Rock play a Bear-cop (obviously a play on Martin Lawrence more than himself, though ironically Rock wrote the script while on set for Grown-Ups 2, so it goes).
- Quinoa1984
- Dec 13, 2014
- Permalink
Everything New on Paramount+ in November
Everything New on Paramount+ in November
- How long is Top Five?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $12,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $25,317,471
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $6,896,593
- Dec 14, 2014
- Gross worldwide
- $26,117,471
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1