Joey Magidson
It’s hardly a novel concept to present to audiences that Hollywood can chew a person up and spit them out. In fact, films about Hollywood almost exclusively traffic in failed dreams. So, for Chris Rock to want to make a movie about Hollywood, there would have to be a hook of some kind. With Misty Green, his big play is to make the story about a black actress. Despite some imperfections and narrative shortcuts, that concept pays dividends, with the flick being rather compelling. Playing at the New York Film Festival, it’s not likely to blow you away, but it has a hell of a central performance at its core.
Misty Green succeeds in no small part due to the breakthrough performance from Rosalind Eleazar. She makes the title character, in all of her frustrating characteristics, absolutely fascinating. You’re often annoyed by her choices, yet all the more compelled to watch them play out. Rock has a hell of a character here, one that runs circles around everyone else in the film. So, while it’s a decent movie on its own, it manages to become something more due to Eleazar.
Years ago, Misty Green (Eleazor) was an up and coming star in Hollywood. Winning an Emmy Award, those days have long gone, with Misty reduced to reading for parts well beneath her. We meet her as she’s being confronted by Celine (Amy Landecker), the widow of the man whose apartment Misty has been staying in. Given a week to find a new place to live, she shoots down nearly every idea presented to her by her friend Naomi (Anna Kendrick). Her occasional hookup Zach (Adam Driver) can get her major money to go to Dubai and “entertain” a prince, while her agent Randy (Topher Grace) is scraping the bottom of the barrel for her. Something needs to change.
An opportunity presents itself when Jordan (Rock), a director who Misty once screwed over, moves into her building to prep his new production of Dreamgirls. Their budding friendship could lead to a job, but also arriving on the scene is her brother Jay (Daniel Kaluuya), who’s dealing with some severe mental issues. Misty is trying to balance it all during this week, and that’s not even taking into account her own self-destructive behaviors, which threaten to sabotage her at all turns.
Rosalind Eleazar is the star of the show, showing you the depths of Misty’s talents, without question, but also bringing you along for every bad decision that she makes. This deeply human character is a tricky balancing act to pull off, but Eleazar does it with aplomb, finding the grace, spunk, and even venom within Misty Green. Daniel Kaluuya also does very nice work with a smaller role, though the script isn’t quite as kind to his character. Kaluuya is able to elevate the character, however. The same goes for Adam Driver, who’s playing a real scumbag, yet finds the charm in this man. Topher Grace is good as the only slightly scummy agent, who wants to help Misty succeed but isn’t about to do more than the minimum to keep her out of her own way. Anna Kendrick is often the comic relief as Misty’s best friend, while Amy Landecker largely just has her opening scene, which starts the flick out with a bang. Then, there’s Chris Rock, who is very solid here, yet feels like miscasting. Whenever the movie stops for what are essentially a few short comedy bits, you feel the pacing lag. Supporting players here include Anthony Anderson, Tom Papa, Alexandra Shipp, Rich Sommer, Tracie Thoms, and more.
Chris Rock writes and directs, in addition to that plum supporting role, and his filmmaking has taken a step forward since Top Five. There’s an extra bit of confidence on display here that helps to move you through the film’s flaws. At the same time, he’s enamored with the role he gave himself, as the character gets multiple monologues. Again, his acting is good, and he wrote himself some great lines, but it feels a bit like a different movie. The screenplay also takes a lot of shortcuts and doesn’t avoid cliches, so you’ll more or less always know where things are headed next. Visually, there’s an assurance behind the camera that bodes well for what Rock chooses to make next.
Misty Green is a middle of the road NYFF title and unlikely to be an Oscar contender, but it’s still a compelling Hollywood character study. Rosalind Eleazar is a discovery and easily the best part of this film. If you’re a fan of Chris Rock, watching him stretch his filmmaking skills is something to witness as well. Provided you can forgive the occasion cinematic trespass by this movie, you’re in a a hell of a performance, one that lights the screen on fire.
SCORE: ★★★
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