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Movies / On DVD / Down to Earth
Down to Earth

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Down to Earth (2001)

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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:7

Rotten:22

Average Rating:3.9/10

Consensus: A toned down Chris Rock fails to bring a limp script to life as the movie moves from one gag to the next.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for language, sexual humor and some drug references

Runtime: 87 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Feb 16, 2001 Wide

Box Office: $63,095,559

Synopsis: Comedian Chris Rock updates 1978's HEAVEN CAN WAIT with a decidedly modern flair in this romantic comedy. Lance Barton (Rock) is a struggling comedian whose dream is to perform at New York City's... Comedian Chris Rock updates 1978's HEAVEN CAN WAIT with a decidedly modern flair in this romantic comedy. Lance Barton (Rock) is a struggling comedian whose dream is to perform at New York City's legendary Apollo Theater before it closes its doors forever. One night, while riding his bike, Lance is crushed by an enormous truck. Before he can come to terms with what has happened, he is strolling through Heaven, talking to the smooth Mr. King (Chazz Palminteri) and the bumbling Keyes (Eugene Levy), the angel who prematurely snatched Lance away from Earth. Mr. King agrees to make up for this mistake by returning Lance to New York, only instead of being a black bike messenger, Lance is now Mr. Wellington, a powerful white businessman who just so happens to be the enemy of Sontee (Regina King), the woman he has become infatuated with. Wooing Sontee with a new commitment to using Mr. Wellington's money philanthropically, Lance embarks on a mission to perform at the Apollo, even if he doesn't seem to fit the mold. But just when everything begins to fall into place, Mr. King returns to throw another glitch into Lance's plans. Coasting along on the charm of Rock and King, DOWN TO EARTH is a charming story about the power of fate, set to a bouncing hip-hop soundtrack. [More]

Starring: Chris Rock, Regina King, Mark Addy, Eugene Levy

Starring: Chris Rock, Regina King, Mark Addy, Eugene Levy, Frankie R. Faison, Greg Germann, Jennifer Coolidge, Chazz Palminteri

Director: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

Director: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
Screenwriter: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, Lance Crouther, Ali Leroi, Louis C. K.
Producer: Sean Daniel, Michael Rotenberg, James Jacks, Barry Berg
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Release:

Dec 4, 2001

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Reviews for Down to Earth

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
09/26/02
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/19/02
Globe and Mail
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A two-word review: Chris rocks.

Full Review Source: Good Morning America | comment Comment
02/22/01
Joel Siegel
Joel Siegel
Good Morning America
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When Rock finds his authentic swing as an actor as well as a comedian, he'll be, like, a movie god.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
02/22/01
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
02/22/01
Ebert & Roeper
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Almost every minute of Down to Earth is entertaining. But not quite surprising.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
02/21/01
Caleb Crain
Caleb Crain
Village Voice
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Offers a strangely muted and largely unfunny Rock.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
02/17/01
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
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A ham-handed fantasy that manages the damn near impossible feat of making Chris Rock unfunny.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
02/16/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
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For a comedy, there are precious few real laughs.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/16/01
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
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It's pretty consistently funny, if far generations removed from anything original.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/16/01
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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Affable but forgettable.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
02/16/01
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
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Bland and unfunny.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
02/16/01
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
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Heaven can wait and so can the audience for the new Chris Rock comedy ever to catch fire.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
02/16/01
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle
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Doesn't feel fat or padded, like so many contemporary comedies, and its very leanness is appealing.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
02/16/01
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com
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This medium-octane farce is neither as uproarious as its star and set-up promise nor as inept as every other studio picture released in recent weeks.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
02/16/01
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
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Mildly amusing.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
02/16/01
Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell
New York Times
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Unfortunately, a lot of the potential for humor is wasted because the movie audience can't see what the people around Lance magically see.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment 1 Comment
02/16/01
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
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A feeble effort that feels interminable even at a lean 86 minutes.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/16/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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As funny as he is on a concert stage, and as smart as his humor sometimes was on his recently ended HBO show, the man can't act.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
02/16/01
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
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By midpoint in the movie, you feel somewhat left out of the central joke. You feel as if the characters are in on the fun of the payoff, but not the audience.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
02/16/01
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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