"Down To Earth" is a remake of Warren Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait," but of course it has a raunchy twist for the 2000 generation. Rock plays Lance Barton, a struggling comedian who is given the name "Booey" because he's been booed of the stage at the Apollo on numerous occasions. Lance catches wind that the Apollo is closing its doors for good and there's just one last Amateur Night, so he becomes determined to be only one of five final participants to succeed in gaining a spot. The only problem is that while on his bike Lance locks eyes with a pretty young thing (Regina King as Suntee) and he's struck down by a truck and killed. Heaven admits they've made a mistake and Lance wasn't supposed to die for another 40 years, so "Booey" is reincarnated as an extremely wealthy, cold-hearted, overweight geezer. Did we mention he's also white? Let the comedy begin!
Rock does a good job delivering an honest and sincere performance, especially when he must convince Suntee that literally underneath the crusty old white man she sees before her is the kind-hearted Lance. This proves to be one of Lance's largest obstacles for the man he has become is planning on tearing down the Brooklyn hospital that Suntee works for. Eventually after changing his tune about the hospital, plays for affection and constant harassment, Suntee falls for this man that is clearly twice her age simply because there's "something about his eyes," a point in the script that the audience might have a hard time believing.
This is a Chris Rock movie. Not only did he help write the screenplay, but Rock is in just about every single scene of this mere 85 minute long film. So if you're not a fan of his comedy, then you're probably not going to enjoy this film. "Down To Earth" is basically an outlet for Rock's stand-up material, and the fact that Lance is cast as a comedian allows him to deliver his own routine over and over and over again. The fact of the matter is that Chris Rock is very funny, so even though his shtick is loosely disguised as a script, you can't help but be entertained by the comedy of this film. But if you're not a fan of his humour, then there's not much else to grasp onto.
Rock does a good job delivering an honest and sincere performance, especially when he must convince Suntee that literally underneath the crusty old white man she sees before her is the kind-hearted Lance. This proves to be one of Lance's largest obstacles for the man he has become is planning on tearing down the Brooklyn hospital that Suntee works for. Eventually after changing his tune about the hospital, plays for affection and constant harassment, Suntee falls for this man that is clearly twice her age simply because there's "something about his eyes," a point in the script that the audience might have a hard time believing.
This is a Chris Rock movie. Not only did he help write the screenplay, but Rock is in just about every single scene of this mere 85 minute long film. So if you're not a fan of his comedy, then you're probably not going to enjoy this film. "Down To Earth" is basically an outlet for Rock's stand-up material, and the fact that Lance is cast as a comedian allows him to deliver his own routine over and over and over again. The fact of the matter is that Chris Rock is very funny, so even though his shtick is loosely disguised as a script, you can't help but be entertained by the comedy of this film. But if you're not a fan of his humour, then there's not much else to grasp onto.
