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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:94

Fresh:18

Rotten:76

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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81 - 100 (sorted by date)
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Chris Rock is a pretty funny guy. And "Heaven Can Wait" is a pretty funny little movie. So can someone explain why, in combining the two, Down to Earth isn't nearly as funny as either one.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
02/16/01
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Rock can't really be expected to pull off the love scenes, but for a man trying to reach the largest possible audience, his comedy is surprisingly uninspired.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
02/16/01
Lawrence Terenzi
Lawrence Terenzi
Mr. Showbiz

A pretty sloppy comedy with a very light sprinkling of laughs or even chuckles.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/16/01
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hellishly unfunny.

Full Review Source: IFilm | comment Comment
02/15/01
Dave White
Dave White
IFilm

Neither remotely romantic nor funny, but as a movie about a dead man, it is decidedly lacking life.

comment Comment
02/15/01
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite an energetic effort by the star, it's not a case of third time lucky.

comment Comment
02/15/01
Desmond Ryan
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer

Down to Earth suggests that politics and comedy are two methods of initiating social change and that, in context, both are equally effective.

comment Comment
02/15/01
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

The script's line of racial-humor gags is relatively inoffensive, the supporting cast is mostly quite good, and the film gradually develops its own dreamy charm.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
02/15/01
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Not funny at all.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
02/15/01
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Rock cannot act to save his life.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
02/15/01
Todd Anthony
Todd Anthony
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The filmmakers don't go far enough.

comment Comment
02/15/01
Robert Wilonsky
Robert Wilonsky
New Times

Often uproariously funny, blessedly short and never forgets it's a screwball romance for teen and adult moviegoers.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
02/15/01
David Hunter
David Hunter
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Except for Chris Rock's standup performances, the whole thing looks really tired.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
02/15/01
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

Astonishingly unfunny.

comment Comment
02/15/01
Ernest Hardy
Ernest Hardy
Film.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Rock rocks. His movie doesn't.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
02/15/01
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cute, predictable and sporadically funny.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
02/15/01
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

Down to Earth is for Chris Rock fans only. All others should go rent Heaven Can Wait or truly be brought down to earth.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
02/15/01
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

And so, here comes Mr. Rock, invading the white folks' world with something approximating a vengeance.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia City Paper | comment Comment
02/15/01
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Philadelphia City Paper

The most shocking thing about Down to Earth is how limp and mild it really is.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
02/15/01
Scott Von Doviak
Scott Von Doviak
culturevulture.net

I would say that this movie is not a mess per se, but definitely not the vehicle which we were all expecting to take Chris Rock to the next step in the stratosphere of the business we call show.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
02/15/01
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date)
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