Down to Earth (2001)

hyped garbage

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Better Late Then Never

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

"Heaven Can Wait", the 1978 film starring Warren Beatty, is a remake of 1941's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". 2001's "Down to Earth" is another remake of the same movie. I saw the 1978 version in 2006 and again the following year, but still haven't seen the original, though I certainly still intend to. I rented this most recent film of the three without knowing it was a remake, but knowing that the starring role was played by Chris Rock. Not every film I've seen the comedian in is very good, but I have seen him in some funny ones, such as "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Dogma". Knowing that "Down to Earth" didn't have a very good reputation, I didn't think it would be funny, but found it to be an above average comedy, which I wasn't expecting.Lance Barton is a struggling comedian who unfortunately isn't very funny onstage, due to his stage fright. When his manager, Whitney Daniels, tells him that the Apollo Theater is about to have its final Amateur Night contest before closing down, Lance is determined to land a slot at this show. However, while riding his bike at night, he is distracted by a woman on the street and doesn't see an oncoming truck until it's too late! An angel named Mr. Keyes takes him up to heaven, but it turns that out it was not the comedian's time to die, so the head angel, Mr. King, takes him back to look for a different body to put him in, before anyone knows that the person is dead. After searching for a while, one of Lance's options is Charles Wellington, III, a billionaire tyrant who has just been murdered. Lance decides to temporarily take this body, until a more suitable body is found for him, and being a totally different person than what the businessman was before, this will obviously be an awkward experience! After the intro of this film, we see Chris Rock as Lance Barton going on a rant as if he's been mistaken for a bicycle messenger, even though he really IS one, and this part certainly did make me laugh. I thought maybe this would be the funniest part, and the only one that would actually make me laugh, but I was wrong. While most of the movie isn't exactly laugh-out-loud, there were other times when I laughed, including Lance in the body of Charles Wellington, III doing his stand-up routine, and two scenes with Lance/Charles rapping in public. I also frequently smiled, and rock puts on a decent enough comedic performance to help with the humour. I didn't find Jennifer Coolidge as Mrs. Wellington very amusing, and the romantic scenes with Lance (in Charles' body) and the Sontee Jenkins character played by Regina King may be slightly flawed, but I didn't find anything in the film painfully bad (it's not an extremely juvenile gross-out comedy, you can be sure about that), and the story held my interest.I know a lot of people strongly dislike/hate this movie, and that may include many Chris Rock fans, but despite all the criticism, I cannot give the film any rating lower than six out of ten. If you ask me, even a rating of seven just MIGHT not be excessively generous, even if most of those who have seen this particular 2001 comedy would strongly disagree! Also, coming from Paul and Chris Weitz, the directors of "American Pie" (a much more popular comedy, one which I think is sometimes funny but as a whole is quite overrated), I was expecting "Down to Earth" to be far more puerile and gross than it actually is! If you're a Chris Rock fan, I wouldn't expect this to be the funniest movie you'll ever see him in, but you could still find yourself laughing at least some of the gags (that is obviously NOT a guarantee). In my opinion, this film is definitely better than "Head of State", Rock's 2003 directorial debut.

The main character Lance Barton gets killed and to heaven before his time. When heaven learns about the mistake he is given the body of just deceased rich old and white Mr. Wellington.A young black guy in a old white mans body still behaving like the young black man is maybe funny if you see it done by an old white actor. In this movie I ended up reminding myself several times: "Chris Rock is supposed to be an old white guy".The whole concept does not play as intended: The "illusion" is not transported well and the love story is not believable at all. The fact that all you see is Chris Rock playing a young black guy, because the old white person everyone is supposed to see is only shown in small scenes, is to much of a challenge for the viewers "suspension of disbelief".

With a combination of charm, wit, humor and romance; "Down To Earth" has ascended to be one of the funniest films I've seen in 2001. This marks the second Chris Rock movie I have seen and I must say I was impressed with his comedic and acting ability because he kept me laughing throughout the film. It is a true pleasure to take a break from the violent action films and watch a light-hearted comedy meant to entertain."Down To Earth" is a very exciting film to watch because Chris Rock's comedy is funny and unpredictable. One the coolest parts of this film was Rock's performance because he knew when to turn off the comedy in the more serious scenes.Furthermore, Rock seemed to fit the part perfectly because his performance looked to pulled off with little effort. This is Chris Rock's breakthrough performance because it proves he is an actor to be reckoned with and not just a one-hit wonder.The intelligence and creativity of the writing was excellent because it was unique and interesting to see how the script would play out on screen. Another impressive aspect of the movie was the element of the dream Rock's character had about performing at the Apollo. It is a true pleasure and welcomed change to see a legitimate underlying plot that made sense rather than one put in to add extra minutes to the movie.The supporting cast of King, Addy, Levy and Palminteri play a huge role in the success of "Down To Earth" because each bring their own exciting personas to the screen. All of these actors come from different genres of film, which makes for an interesting mix of characters.I was extremely impressed with the way each related to one another; furthermore, as with Rock, they seemed to be right at home in their roles because it was pulled off with ease. It is not often that we find a cast who come together from different genres to produce such an exciting and hilarious film."Down To Earth" is the best comedy of the year because it combines fresh and original jokes with touching and charming scenes lacking in the other 2001 comedies. Chris Rock is a tremendous comedic talent that knows how to use it to his advantage; furthermore, it is a true pleasure to watch him."Down To Earth" made me smile because it is a truly touching film that isn't holding anything back. Chris Rock rules the screen with his comedy and the writing is out of this world.Rock's comedy, charm and wit made this film worthwhile and he deserves all the praise. "Down To Earth" receives a directed verdict of guilty of being one of the funniest films of 2001.

DOWN TO EARTH, in my opinion, is a terrific and funny movie starring Chris Rock! It left a big smile on my face! The funniest things about this movie, in my opinion, were Lance's (Chris Rock - DOCTOR DOLITTLE, BOOMERANG) stand-up routines, especially the ones he did at the Apollo. If you ask me, that's the perfect place for a stand-up comic to do their routines. I thought that Sontee (Regina King - ENEMY OF THE STATE, A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE) looked VERY beautiful in all of the dressy clothing she wore, especially the attire she wore whenever she and Lance went out on a date. In conclusion, if you're a fan of Chris Rock and you haven't seen this terrific and funny movie starring him, I highly recommend it! You're in for a real treat and a lot of laughs, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it.