Top Five [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD]

Overview

A popular NYC comic (Chris Rock) successfully makes the leap to movies, but gets caught off guard when confronted by a journalist (Rosario Dawson) who compels him to reevaluate his career choices. Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, J.B. Smoove, and Jay Pharoah co-star.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/17/2015
UPC:	0032429216335
Original Release:	2014
Rating:	R
Source:	PARAMOUNT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:41:00

Special Features

Commentary by Chris Rock and JB Smoove ; Andre Allen stand-up outtakes; Deleted scenes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Chris Rock	Andre Allen
Rosario Dawson	Chelsea Brown
Gabrielle Union	Berkani
Romany Malco	Benny
Leslie Jones	Lisa
Kevin Hart	Charles
Whoopi Goldberg	Herself
Adam Sandler	Himself
Jerry Seinfeld	Himself
Tracy Morgan	Fred
Cedric the Entertainer	Jazzy Dee
J.B. Smoove	Silk
Sherri Shepherd	Vanessa
Anders Holm	Brad
Michael Che	Paul
Jay Pharoah	Mike
Greta Lee	Pill Girl
Hayley Marie Norman	Tammy
Annaleigh Ashford	Michele
Genevieve Angelson	Columbia Student
Ben Wood	Sirius XM DJ
Ben Vereen	Carl Allen
Hassan Johnson	Craig
Nancy Castro	Andre Fan
Karlie Redd	Rhonda
Jen Jacob	Ryan's Date
Laurissa Romain	Grace
Tom Papa	Drunk Businessman
Matthew Wilkas	Ryan
Ice Aysun Leidl	Cocktail Waitress
Olga Merediz	Gladys
Rick Shapiro	Biker AA Guy
Rachel Feinstein	Publicist
Stacey Sargeant	Big Female Cop
Stefano Villabona	1st Row Audience Member
Vivian Chiu	Columbia Student
Deborah Meister	Student
Deborah Offner	Wendy
Dean Edwards	Comic on Stage
Dominic Colón	Bouncer
Liam Ferguson	Dolce & Gabbana Client
Dylan Caltabiano	Macaroni Girl
Vivian Nixon	Jasmine
Amelia Fowler	Large Girl
Aaron Moten	Fan
Dolores Winn	L.A. Hair Dresser
Angela Lewis	Flight Attendant
Rachel Caccese	Columbia Student
Phillip Boykin	Andre's Driver #2
Krista Tunnell	Comedy Club Patron
Teddy Coluca	Maurice the Tailor
Alberto Vazquez	Supermarket Cashier
Paugh Shadow	Undercover Detective
Lorna Pruce	New York Police Officer
Anthony Ferretti	Police Officer
Volieda Webb	Andre's Friend
Joseph Basile	Annoyed Laughing Jail Bird Watching TV
Atif Lanier	Inmate
Danny Bolero	Janitor
Shani Marquise	Exotic Dancer
Preston Sadleir	Actor
Daniel Goldsmith	Andre's Driver #1
Peter Iasillo Jr.	Armed Terrorist #1
Dan Hooks	Audience Member
Richard R. Corapi	AA Member
Corey Brown	College Student
David Blatt	Jailhouse Prisoner
Alan Davis	Paparazzi,Hotel Guest
Stephen Sapienza	Casting Agent
Christian Frazier	Talent Agent
Andre Ward	Fan
Marco Palou	Actor
Teeka Duplessis	Daughter
Aaron Salley	Bartender
Pasha Sol	Restaurant Patron
Gary M. LaSasso	Umpire
Chelsea Meyer	Columbia Student
William L. Bozarth	Audience Member
John Austin Wiggins	Celebrity Baker
Derek Peith	Supermarket Manager
Nelson Rivera	Bus Boy
Elleen Hannah	Police Officer
Charlie Rose	Himself
Gabourey Sidibe	Herself
DMX	Himself
Jim Norton	Himself
Maia Wilson	Woman with Confidence
Ren Croney	Pretty Salesgirl
Brian Regan	Engineer
Nadia Quinn	Studio Assistant
Tichina Arnold	Theatre Manager
Capathia Jenkins	Female Fan
Claudette Lali	Actor
Griffin Newman	Actor
Ludwig Göransson	Composer
Ahmir Questlove Thompson	Composer

Technical Credits

Chris Rock

Chris Rock	Director,Screenwriter
Eli Bush	Producer
Barry Diller	Producer
Tony Hernandez	Executive Producer
Lila Yacoub	Executive Producer,Producer
Jacob Ribicoff	Sound/Sound Designer
George Bianchini	Camera Operator
Victoria Thomas	Casting
Justin Gray	Sound Mixer
Jeremy Sample	Stunts
Jeff Joseph	Producer
Jason Shrier	Producer
Scott Rudin	Producer

Editorial Reviews

In the two previous movies he wrote and directed, Chris Rock explored issues related to authenticity. Head of State exposed the insincerity of politicians, and I Think I Love My Wife dealt with the problem of staying true to your spouse. With his third film, the showbiz
omantic comedy Top Five, he takes a look at the hypocrisy surrounding modern celebrity. Rock stars as Andre Allen, a revered standup comic who is in New York to do press for his latest movie, a serious drama about a Haitian slave revolt. He's supposed to spend an entire day with Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson), a reporter assigned to profile him for the New York Times. They soon discover that they are both recovering alcoholics and begin to bond, despite the fact that Andre resents the paper's critic for giving his film a harsh review. Andre is at a career crossroads. He's not feeling very funny these days, and he's worried that all anybody wants from him is to do another installment of his hit action/comedy franchise Hammy the Bear. He's also engaged to Erica (Gabrielle Union), a reality-TV star. She needs his celebrity to stay famous, and he feels a debt to her because she helped him get sober. As Andre and Chelsea walk around Manhattan and meet various members of his social circle, they come clean with each other about their own lives, and start to wonder if their professional relationship is turning romantic. Chris Rock's biggest problem as a filmmaker is his inability to write dialogue that doesn't sound like a standup-comedy routine. His first two pictures crashed and burned because he wasn't able to find the voices of his characters, and while he hasn't totally sidestepped that problem here, at least he's made his main character a standup comic so the rhythm of the dialogue sounds somewhat natural. He's also cast the film with a number of additional standups (Tracy Morgan, Saturday Night Live's Leslie Jones, Cedric the Entertainer) and famous faces in order to get laughs. The standouts include Jerry Seinfeld spoofing himself, and an appearance by DMX that deserves to win some sort of Oscar for the funniest one-scene cameo of the year. Rock's standup and movies have often wandered into uncomfortable territory when dealing with women, and Top Five doesn't run away from this motif. Erica and Chelsea are both deceptive to various degrees, and the centerpiece of Andre's standup act is a joke about how women would rather be married and sick than single and healthy. It's the least appealing side of Rock's comic persona, and it feels even more unavoidable here because this is likely his most autobiographical movie. A subplot in which a bisexual guy is physically punished for his desires -- a scene we're supposed to laugh at -- is equally problematic. Top Five feels like a personal statement from Rock, but he doesn't seem to be listening to his own muse. Andre is trying to get back to his authentic self, and an impromptu return to standup is what allows him to achieve that. While Rock is explosively funny during this sequence, his work as a writer/director just doesn't have the same level of insight into topics like human nature and race. The movie ends up arguing that Andre should just stick with standup, and while Top Five is certainly Rock's best work as a filmmaker, it's also proof that he shouldn't quit his day job yet.