There is very little argument that Chris Rock is one of the greatest comedians to emerge in the last ten years. His unique brand of raw, uncensored and truthful humor is a revelation to those tired of getting the same old schtick from programs like “Def Comedy Jam.” Rock is a legitimate artist with much to offer, and his craft is so finely tuned that, yes, I would compare him to Richard Pryor. Is he always as daring and profoundly wise as Pryor? No, but he’s just as funny, and the basic need for laughter is the reason we watch performers like him in the first place.

So, we’ve established that Chris Rock is a very funny guy on stage, but how does he fare on the silver screen? Like many African-American comedians before him, Rock has made the decision to abandon his roots to pursue a career in filmmaking; for some (Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy), this has been an extremely profitable venture, while others (Jamie Foxx in particular) were not so successful. But in almost all cases, the comedians not only sold out their trade, but also their integrity, as not one of their films showcased the same talent we saw from them on stage. And with Down to Earth, Chris Rock’s first starring vehicle, it looks as though this young comedian may fall into the same trap.

But that’s not to say that Rock can’t act. His nausea-inducing turn in Lethal Weapon 4 aside, he’s been fairly successful in the supporting roles he’s taken over the years, most notably in Dogma and the recent Nurse Betty. But the question as to whether or not he can carry a film himself remained to be seen until now. The answer, commercially, at any rate, is yes. With an opening weekend of over $20 million and a total haul of about $35 million to date, Down to Earth has proved that movie-goers do, in fact, want to see Chris Rock in film. But as we all know, the general public is not the greatest barometer by which to judge the quality of a movie.

That said, Down to Earth is not too bad of a film; it may not be worth $35 million in ticket sales, but I’ve seen much worse. The movie, a remake of the 1978 Warren Beatty comedy Heaven Can Wait (which was itself a remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan), tells the story of a struggling black comedian who departs from the mortal coil a bit early and temporarily returns to Earth in the form of rich, powerful white businessman Charles Wellington. We see the character as Chris Rock, a slim black man, while everyone in the movie sees him at the overweight Caucasian tycoon Hence, this is essentially an entire movie based on a single running joke, as Rock runs around rapping and performing at Brooklyn comedy clubs as if he were his prior self.

However, the filmmakers do manage to pull one absolutely classic bit of social commentary from this scenario, with Wellington spouting out racial humor to his nightclub audience as they look on in disbelief of the prejudice filth they are hearing; coming from a black man, it’s funny, but coming from a white guy, it’s shocking. And while not all of the jokes in the film are as observant or well-executed as that one, most still work, even if the bulk of them are lifted from Chris Rock’s shows “Bring the Pain” and “Bigger and Blacker.” An okay film, if a tad forgettable and uninspired.

*Originally published in the March 02, 2001 edition of the Tokay Press

Copyright 2001 Jason Wallis