Top Five (2014)

Strong and Moving!

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This movie started unevenly: odd cameos and unreal moments. The longer it went, the more I cared. Rock managed to make this character an actual person in actual moments. That's when it got funny. And worth watching. Here's hoping Chris Rock builds from here.

Before I begin my review, I'll start by saying, I will not be surprised if IMDb removed this, because 99% of their users are whites("caucasians" if you care about being P.C). Please actually take the time to see this movie before you decide to skip. "Top five" is critically acclaimed and has won a handful of awards; how come it has such a low rating?The reasons for the low rating is because IMDb has so many caucasians on its platform.If you think I'm being ignorant, look up great black films like "Malcom X", "Do the right thing", "Menace 2 society", "Catch a fire", "Jungle fever", "12 years a slave". I could go on.Then, compare these movies to mediocre caucasian films like "Fault in our stars", "The notebook", "Trainwreck" "Bridge of spies" e.t.c and you'll see what I'm talking about.Top five is a brilliant romantic comedy that tackles racial issues brilliantly ( that's what pisses off the racist on here). The directing and cinematography is exquisite.You can tell that Chris Rock is inspired by Woody Allen, as he uses the same camera techniques you see in "Manhattan", "Bananas", e.t.c.I was actually expecting the reviews to point out the obvious homages to Woody Allen throughout the film, but I guess these racists were to irritated by the pro black messages to actually see the brilliance of this film. The storyline is nothing original, but the characters and pacing are top notch. I enjoyed the chemistry between Dawson and Rock.I laughed all the way through. Again, you'll have no problem laughing if you are a normal person and have no hatred towards black people. Top five is the best rom com since "500 Days Of Summer."

Chris Rock's 'Top Five' is Good Comedic Fun! Entertaining & Well-Worded, this recent sleeper hit, is certainly worth watching.'Top Five' Synopsis: A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality-TV star fiancée talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her TV show.Rock's Screenplay, which is a subtle commentary on Hollywood & its Madness, is entertaining & well-worded. I loved the dialogue, it's very realistic & believable. Rock's Direction is efficient at all times, as well. Cinematography, Editing & Costume Design, are passable.Performance-Wise: Rock, expectedly, dominates the show. He's energetic all through. Rosario Dawson is in top-form after a hiatus. Cedric the Entertainer is hilarious in his bit, while Sherri Shepherd stands out. Others lend good support.On the whole, 'Top Five' works!

The critically acclaimed but underrated audience film Top Five is genius. Not only is it a return to glory for Chris Rock, it's a really great dramatic film. IMDb doesn't list it as drama, but I think the dramatic moments of Top Five were even better than the inevitably hysterical moments. It tells the story of Andre Allen, a comedian and movie star who is struggling to reach the heights of his early career while simultaneously being interviewed by a journalist and preparing for his wedding.Top Five caught me off guard. I figured with the cast it has and the premise that it presented, the film would be a goof ball comedy and a throwaway film. Instead, it felt like a mixture of a Richard Linklater and Woody Allen script, with tons of great Chris Rock comedy thrown in. It only takes place over the course of a night or two, and the screenplay is absolutely brilliant. Rock and Rosario Dawson share great chemistry together and light up each others lives, which are otherwise pretty depressing. The back and forth with them and the ability they had to change each other's world views, was reminiscent of Celine & Jesse in The Before Trilogy. I also tend to believe this was loosely based on how Chris Rock viewed himself in the industry and quite possibly several other celebrities. It sheds a light on what may be the many struggles celebrities and past-their-prime actors go through when they are trying to change their career.Now I don't know how explicit the film needed to get. At times some of the goofy comedy and characters took me out of the film. I would have much rather the film stay closer to the contained humor that made the film work so well. Besides that, I was really impressed Top Five. The fact that a film involving Chris Rock walking around New York City for a full 2 hours was that interesting is a testament to the script and Rock's directing.+Hilarious +Dramatic moments hit even more +Felt like a Linklater/Woody Allen script +Potentially Rock's own story? -Stay away from the silly comedy 8.5/10