Top Five

Top Five is the third feature from comedian/writer/director Chris Rock. It's a rom-com of sorts, undoubtedly pooling from Rocks own personal experiences.

Rock plays Andre Allen, a successful comedian with a feature-film career. Allen is accompanied by Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson) on a press tour to promote his latest opus, Uprize (the first dramatic retelling of the Haitian uprising of 1791). Chelsea is a journalist from the New York Times interviewing Allen for a feature.
Chelsea is our window into Allens life and her subsequent interview helps us learn of Allens past, present and future.

Allens story is the classic rags to riches tale (up to and including the inevitable creative impasse).
Rock is telling the story of the comedian here. An all too familiar story beginning with the creative freedom of the past, which walked hand in hand with obscurity (later notoriety). Then with commercial success comes compromise - the arch-nemesis to creativity! Ultimately commitment and responsibility befall our once and future king - with the need to keep those around him fed and watered.
So many of our heros (particularly comedians) appear to struggle to recapture the energy and originality of their youth. Rather than embrace their age and adapt, they often play it safe with projects so broad, they may hit with box office receipts but they too often miss creatively. Comfortable and secure in their privileged surrounds, the desire to rock the boat is long gone. Interesting how the very same risks and bombast they took in their youth can signify career suicide years later?!

Rock covers all of the above and more in Top Five - much of which can be measured by Allens romantic entanglements. With a marriage to Americas, reality-television sweetheart on the calender, Chelsea represents a romantic gamble. Chelsea seeks the truth from Allen and doesn't shy away from asking the tough questions.
Being in the limelight as Allen has all these years, we learn the truth of his past indiscretions. These flashbacks break-up the conversation between Allen and Chelsea nicely. Full of physical comedy, they are genuinely funny and further help form the put-upon character of Allen.

Reminiscent of Richard Linklater and Woody Allen before him, Top Five is a fly on the wall account of two people getting to know one another, via witty and engaging repartee - with the streets of New York their backdrop.

Interestingly Top Five brings to light a lot of the same themes as Birdman (they would make for a great double-feature). While Birdman took more of an insular look at it's subject, Top Five looks outward at the trappings of fame and celebrity. Together they create a grand expose on the power of stardom, both good and bad.

Lest we forget, these are first-world problems these characters are facing, but problems never the less. Both films acknowledge this with an infectious smile and a vulnerable heart - exactly how the free world should face all their problems really!

4/5


Poster image courtesy: http://www.reddit.com