Movie Review: Top Five (2014)

Top Five is one of many of those things where a comedian plays a “fictionalized version of themselves.” These are a dime a dozen (Louie, Seinfeld to a certain extent), and yet when they contain genuine insight, they can be pretty damn enjoyable. That’s what this movie is.

It’s not hilarious. It’s not even as funny as I was expecting. But the introspection was pretty interesting. I don’t think the movie’s as intelligent or insightful as it thinks it is (one of the big revelatory points the movie has is that reality stars are vapid and self-interested, which seems both so self-observant and dated), but it’s got something to offer.

The heart of the movie is the interaction between Rock and Rosario Dawson, who plays a woman who’s set to interview him for a newspaper, but in reality is a film critic who has panned him repeatedly.

These two are truly a lot of fun together. I’m not really sure what else to say. Chris Rock does a fine job with the script and direction, and he makes for a compelling comic lead as well. And when we actually see him performing stand-up, it’s quite funny.

Rating: 7/10