Top Five is a
good film although I resisted it on some levels. I was pleasantly surprised
because most films starring Chris Rock are normally funny in parts but hardly
penetrative; always superficial and bordering on ‘is this worth it?’ vibe. Most
of his films were like the Hammy franchise and so it’s good that he attempts to
make a film that has genuine emotion although the comedy is not far behind. The structure of the film actually reminded
me of Before Sunset (2004) as it
relies on two people opening up about the personal details in their lives and
how that brings them closer together. The difference here is that Top Five has bit more detail in terms
of a supporting cast and various scenarios that add some dimension to the story
visually. The core of the film, however, still focuses on the development of a
romance occurring in a single day.
This film stars Chris Rock as Hammy; sorry,
I meant as Andre Brown , a
successful comedian and film star that has lost his spark and wishes to
be taken more seriously. He meets Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson) who helps him
reignite his spark and find out what he’s been missing amidst all the glitter
and the fame.
Positives
For me I was very surprised that this film was genuine and
had some heart to go along with the comedy. This provided balance and
contrasted significantly with previous films starring Chris Rock that were all
comedy and satire with no backbone. I can’t even remember his previous films as
I write but I am sure that I will remember this one. So kudos to Chris Rock for having us take him
seriously. There are some good moments when you see rock trying to let others
know that it’s not all a joke.
The blend between comedy and genuine emotion is revealed
well with the back and forth between Rock and Dawson’s characters. It is clear
that Andre Brown/Hammy gives us a more comedic outlook or the speakerboxx but
Chelsea gives us the love below. It is
through Chelsea that the genuine feelings in the film come through particularly
with her real vibe that challenges Brown. Andre Brown is almost looking to be
rescued as he mopes around wishing to be
taken more seriously and giving us some comedy relief for good measure. His
shallow life is made to look more
shallow and superficial with his reality
tv star wife, Berkani (Gabrielle Union)
who does everything for the camera.
Chelsea, however, is quite genuine and clearly has a need to prove
herself and to find some sense of belonging in a world of disappointment. You
feel more for her than for Brown and maybe that was the point of the Cinderella
references. Brown must be the prince charming that will rescue her from her
mundane and unflattering existence. The
good thing about the Cinderella reference is the surprise near the end. It all
tied into Chelsea’s attempts to re imagine the classic fairy tale. It’s well
done. You never quite realize how two people opening up to each other in the
way Chelsea and Brown do until the time for a separation comes. When that
moment of separation does come it does resonate.
There are some good comedic moments although only a few of
the jokes really resonate with me. Those that did resonate had me chuckling and
one joke, not from Chris Rock, about slave movies had me laughing out loud.
There is a strong supporting cast that adds some range to the comedic effect
although some of the individuals like Adam Sandler who are well know say a lot
of platitudinous things and really just show up and contribute to the brown’s
shallow existence. You expect more from them but they are flat. It’s not clear
why they are even in the movie. I
suppose it’s a means to produce the Hollywood effect. I was not wowed by their presence. Some of the scenarios were funny particularly
the one featuring Cedric the entertainer.
I also like some of the scenes where Brown goes on some
ghetto odyssey to reconnect with his roots. I like some of the secrets that get
revealed throughout the film which make
you realize that it’s lonely at the top with so many people out to get you. The
trappings of stardom I suppose.
Kudos for trying to bring some attention to the Haitian
revolution.
Negatives
The primary negative for me was product placement. When I
saw that Jay Z and Kanye West were the producers it all made sense for me when
they featured in everyone’s top 5 Mcs of all time. Typically room is only made
for east coast rappers in the top 5 and tupac is made fun of. As a tupac
fan I was not impressed. Was that a requirement
of the producers? I was not impressed and it threw me off the film completely.
I am not a fan of jay z and I like some of Kanye’s music but that’s it so maybe
that’s why I was more conscious of their requirements. It’s an east coast vibe
in this film and the west is portrayed as some Disney land. In the east
everything seems so real. As Alicia Keys said in the song ‘Empire State of
Mind’ the streets of New York are the concrete jungle where dreams are made of
as your head is dazzled by the lights. Jay Z did say in that song 'Empire State
of Mind' that it was the home of hip hop so that must give it a monopoly on the
top 5. Couldn’t Rock have his producers
make an appearance in the film?No! Jay Z must maintain his imaginary, American gangster image with 99 problems. I was not impressed by the product placement
because it comes across as a means to promote some bias in terms of ‘who’s your
top 5?’ ‘ Only east coast rappers.’ Who are they trying to convince with that? I
was not impressed by the presence of stars like Sandler and Whoopi Goldberg. It
seemed like some actor grabbing moment. An opportunity to get these people to
play themselves and make some platitudinous remarks because it seems they were
the ones willing to work for peanuts. It never added anything to the film.
Some elements of the film are quite predictable and the
inevitable romance develops. The film only remains good because it cannot make
hard decisions. It retreats into conventional territory even with the surprises.
The surprises only confirm its conventional approach to the narrative. There
could have been moments that really tested the love between the two main
characters but it remains conventional. In the end no real hard decisions are taken
particularly when Brown rediscovers his form.
Some of the comedy was just excessive and was more filler
than having anything to say particularly the material related to Chelsea’s
boyfriend and other scenarios. It’s just overcooked. Instead of delivering on
the story Brown tries to go back into camp of his previous films and it
registers hollow. Yes people will laugh out loud but just for the moment.
People won’t be talking about those jokes years, or even weeks, from now. I
was expecting more from those scenarios
as an extension of the story. There is much more that could have been revealed
about Brown as a character but instead what is revealed in the scenarios is
fodder for comedy not real story development. He could have had more scenarios
if he kept the lengthy ones much shorter.
This is why apart from the relationship between Brown and Chelsea a lot
of the movie remains empty at the core despite the social commentary or satire.
Maybe for the next film he can fill out more of these gaps.
I suspect the top five element is supposed to be some form
of rediscovery but it plays like Love
and Basketball to me. Not much being introduced with the concept from that
point of view. Chris Rock could have done better with that instead of just
using the top five as product placement of the producers. The concept could
have connected more. Why do people like to recite their top five? And Why is it
always in regard to the top 5 rappers? Not everyone will get it. There are other
questions I could ask but so what.
It’s clear that Chris Rock is trying to break through but it
has not happened for this film. It definitely seems autobiographical and there
are other stories that need to be told with the same vibe. There are some punctured
areas that released something. This is
why I am looking forward to the follow up because this film seems to be doing
fairly well at the box office. Next we
might be talking about Chris rock and spike lee in the same sentence but with a
more comedic vibe.
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