Chris Rock's `Down to Earth' should be buried
By JEFFREY Q. IRISH
Scene Movie Critic
Chris Rock is a sell out. With "Down to Earth," he has made a PG-13 rated comedy for the masses.
How ironic is it that just last week on MTV's "Diary" he verbally assaulted a record store clerk for selling him a censored version of Jay-Z's "The Dynasty," and then went out and attempted to make a kiddie movie about his explicit comedy routine?
"Down to Earth" looked like it had potential. The TV spots advertised the combination of two of today's funniest people — Rock and Eugene Levy ("American Pie") — making fun of the difference between whites and blacks.
This has been the overriding theme of much of Rock's stand-up routines and it's easy to see how "American Pie" directors Chris and Paul Weitz would be interested.
The movie starts out with Rock as an average comedian trying to earn one of four coveted amateur spots to play in front of a sold out crowd at the Apollo theatre. It has been his dream since he was a kid and it is the only thing that he has ever wanted to do.
Then one day he is riding his bike, is hit by a truck and dies.
After his death, he is quickly sent to heaven where he meets his guardian angel (Levy). It just so happens that Levy made a mistake and Rock wasn't supposed to die.
In order to make up for this, Rock is allowed to return to earth and is given his choice of bodies of people who are dead, but have not yet been discovered.
After some consideration, he chooses the body of the 15th richest man in the world, Charles Wellington, a white, health industry tycoon (here comes the comedy!).
At this point, Rock still thinks he is a poor, black comedian, but the world sees him as a rich, white tycoon.
Then Suntee (Regina King) comes along, playing Rock's romantic interest. She is a loving person and is trying to save a Brooklyn hospital from being bought out by the very tycoon whose body Rock now inhabits. Wellington had hoped to profit from this action and was planning on kicking the poor sick people out onto the street.
Rock sees that what the tycoon was doing to the poor people of Brooklyn is wrong and quickly uses his comedic skills and newfound wealth to become a philanthropist and win the heart of Suntee.
In one of the film's rare moments of truth, Suntee continually comments on how she can see a different person in Wellington's eyes. She talks about how she sees the truth deep in his eyes, a sweet, loving person behind the facade of the tycoon.
One of the many problems with "Down to Earth" is that the film is credited to six writers: Warren Beatty (the star of the film "Earth" is based on, "Heaven Can Wait), Rock, Elaine May, Lance Crouther, Ali LeRoi and Louis CK.
Anytime there are numerous writers it is hard to see the original vision.
Throughout the film, there are times when Rock has to hide his style of comedy in favor of something more bland. It just doesn't fit.
Also, Chris and Paul Weitz are very uncreative and boring in their direction. It will be interesting to see if they go back to a gross-out movie like "American Pie" for their next film, because it doesn't seem like they can do anything else.
All in all, to analyze "Down to Earth" any further is a waste of time. It's just not worth the effort.
A line from one of Rock's routines may help illustrate just how bad this movie is: "I would rather get a tossed-salad than see this movie again."
--one half shamrock (out of five)
All Scene Stories for Thursday, February 22, 2001
