DOWN TO EARTH
USA, 2001, 86 minutes, Colour.
Chris Rock, Regina King, Frankie Raison, Chas Palmentieri, Eugene Levy.
Directed by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz.
Chris Rock is an African American stand up comic who has made a successful entry into the movies. He was the 13th apostle in Dogma and then Morgan Freeman's hit man son in Nurse Betty. Here he has his own show and he makes the most of it.
It is one of those comedies where the hero dies, goes to heaven and finds they have made a mistake, so he gets a temporary body until they find a permanent body for him. In fact, it is based on Warren Beatty and Elaine May's screenplay for Beatty's 1978 comedy, Heaven Can Wait. This, in turn, was based on a 40s comedy, Here Comes Mr Jordan. Mr Jordan was a boxer, Mr Beatty was a footballer and Mr Rock is a would-be stand up comedian.
Rock has a genial screen presence and a gift for patter. Where the film makes its points about race is that his temporary body is that of a 53 year old white tycoon who is making money out of people's misery by making the hospitals he owns exclusive. This gives Rock a platform for social reform, for falling in love with the attractive activist and for getting a final place in the concert that will be the last for Harlem's Apollo theatre. Regina King is the romantic interest and health campaigner. Chazz Palmentieri is Mr King who manages entry into heaven on God's behalf. Eugene Levy has good moments as the sometimes inefficient heavenly accountant.
1. Entertaining comedy? The touch of the supernatural? People being given a second chance?
2. The film based on Heaven Can Wait and the adaptation to the African- American scene? Simplifying the plot, simplifying the issues, adapting them to Chris Rock's talent as a stand-up comedian?
3. The city locations, New York, Harlem, the Apollo Club? The contrast with affluent New York and the apartments and golf courses? The scenes of Heaven - and imagining Mr King and his entourage?
4. The special effects - the angels, the deaths, survival? The supernatural touch?
5. The musical score, songs, rap, hip-hop, traditional music?
6. The focus on Lance: the opening and his pretending not to be a black messenger? His attempt to do stand-up comedy at the Apollo and his being booed? His friendship with his manager? His death? The encounter with the accounting angel, going to Heaven, his resistance, meeting Mr King, the accountant having made a mistake, his being allowed back in a temporary body?
7. His becoming Charles Wellington - and the irony of our seeing him as Chris Rock and the people in real life seeing him as a 54-year old large white man (and the scenes where Wellington was shown singing, jiving, hip-hop, stand-up comedy)? His adapting to the situation - in the house, finding that the body was in the bath and the wife and lover had killed him? Confronting them? Meeting the butler, Cisco, and discovering that he was not English? Wanda and the maids? Everybody's resentment towards Wellington, tycoon, treatment of hospitals? His relying on his 2IC and the board?
8. Sontee and her invasion of Wellington's house, the handcuffs? The encounter with Lance and her puzzlement? His going to the hospital and his being attracted to her, the stand-up comedy at the board and their bewilderment, his urging charity and kindness? His becoming friends with Sontee, the ninety phone calls, the messages around the city, finally cornering her and inviting her out to a meal? The phrases he used - that she would remember when he was no longer Lance?
9. The board, their greed, the plan to kill Wellington, the young man and his relationship with Wellington's wife, their blaming him? The wife, her liking the sadistic touches? Wanting to go back to her husband, the sexual attraction and Lance telling her that he wanted a divorce? The charity function and all the board serving out the food, Lance talking to Sontee and telling her to remember him, her always talking about his eyes as if someone else was inside Wellington's body? His being shot?
10. His friendship with his manager, seeking him out, revealing himself, practising his stand-up comedy, friendship with the servants and going to their television room, performing in front of them, buying the club, being ridiculed at first, being successful, fulfilling Lance's ambition to play on the last night of the Apollo?
11. Mr King and the angel and their characters, their presence at his performance, warning him about death, his being shot, his being in the car crash? His becoming the comedian and his being successful at the Apollo? His manager supporting him? The explanation that he would become the comedian, forget everything and people would forget him?
12. The encounter with Sontee, with his manager, his not recognising them? But his wanting to take on the old manager as his own, thinking that he had met Sontee before? The finale with Wanda, Cisco, Sontee and Lance in his new persona in the car (and the humorous echo of when he was attacked while singing hip-hop in the diner by African-Americans? who thought he was mocking them)?
13. A pleasant comedy, what if...?
