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 total
- Jazzy Dee
- (as Cedric the Entertainer)
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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
There are some funny moments but in general, the characters feel fake. Chris Rock never really stopped being Chris Rock except when he dives into the drinking. Rosario Dawson is lovely but I don't believe her romantic chemistry with him. I rather she be his sponsor than his girlfriend. After she reconnects with him, she needs to bring him to a meeting rather than a comedy store. When Seinfeld, Sandler and Whoopi show up, it feels like the movie is trying too hard and not terribly funny. Andre's family is funnier. There is an interesting movie here but it takes a couple of wrong steps.
The comedy sideshow stuff is hit or miss. An extended sequence with Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones et al. as Andre's old cronies from the 'hood—maybe meant to illustrate Chris Rock's claim that he was only the tenth funniest guy on his block—mostly hits; the shtick with J.B. Smoove coming on to every plus-size woman he meets mostly misses (except when Gabourey Sidibe tells him to knock it off...). Romcom convention dictates that the two leads have a falling out that keeps Rosario out of the picture for a while, which requires a nonsensical plot twist and results in a few flat scenes near the end, but all in all it's an entertaining film.
Maybe the example of Louis CK has encouraged Chris Rock to base his character more on his own life, instead of playing, e.g., a dweeby investment banker ("I Think I Love My Wife"); as with "Louie," the NYC locations are a big part of the story. He claims that this is the "blackest" film he's made so far, but I have to say that a standup guy from Bed-Stuy who remakes an Eric Rohmer classic ("My Wife"), costars with Julie Delpy ("Two Days in New York") in a film set in Tribeca and steals from Preston Sturgess and Woody Allen is my kind of postracial auteur.
Top Five is a relatively mature and intelligent comedy throughout, that ends leaving the viewer satisfied, and for some wanting more but still content with it being the conclusion to this particular story and set of characters. I don't normally review movies on IMDb, but due to the irony of some of the cruel and unnecessarily critical reviews of this movie given by a decent amount of users that I read, after watching a movie that spends time shining light on the effects words have on people, no matter how famous, rich, or happy they are/appear to be.
This movie is by no means Chris Rock's masterpiece, but it is an intelligently crafted, and entertaining film that doesn't deserve to be given any less than a 5 rating. The 7 rating I gave it is largely due to the fact that I enjoy Chris Rock's comedy and he showed me in this film that he hasn't lost a bit of talent since his first big break. It's not a movie I would go see in theaters, but if it pops up for streaming on Netflix, its worth a watch for sure.
Why throw in completely over-the-top, unfunny, and highly explicit sex scenes when they seem to come out of left field, and not really congruent with the rest of the story. I much preferred the chemistry between Rock and the superbly talented and beautiful Rosario Dawson, which, I thought, worked really well. Gabrielle Union, J. B. Smoove, and Leslie Jones also added well to the mix here.
All in all, as mentioned, the movie is way too choppy, with some really cringe inducing scenes, and overall a disappointment.
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
- 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
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