Chris Rock is perhaps the funniest man on earth. It’s just too bad no one can find a movie that’s funny enough to showcase his humor. You’ll hear people say Down To Earth is nothing but a copycat of Warren Beatty’s classic Heaven Can Wait, which oddly enough is a remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, and there’s good reason for the comparison. This new movie is a clone, and a very weak one at that.
Chris Rock coming back to life as a fat, rich white guy should be funny, right? You’d think so. Even though Chris Rock is credited with being one of the screenwriters, he didn’t help his cause. Most of the laughs are eye level and never reach the belly. How could that happen with such a funny man behind it? Well, when you try to mix a new-era flow with the original classic, you get a recipe for trouble. And if you look closely you’ll see that Beatty has a screenwriting credit for this film. Why? Because it is taken so liberally from Heaven Can Wait that to do otherwise would be illegal.
The kids who haven’t seen Heaven Can Wait might find Down To Earth to be some great new, fresh idea. I’m sorry that I couldn’t. Down To Earth just mimics Heaven Can Wait way too much. The only thing worth watching is Chris Rock doing his standup. I have his Bigger And Blacker album and that’s provided me with laughs for well over a year. Down To Earth won’t find you laughing anywhere near that much. Even worse is that you won’t find any emotional fulfillment or attachment whatsoever.
+ charlie craine
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