Chris Rock's first movie as a director in more than a decade is now a click away. Misty Green, the A24 Hollywood drama he wrote, directed, produced and co-stars in, began streaming on Netflix in the U.S. on Monday, November 9, one month after it opened in theaters. And this coming Monday, November 16, Rock will accept the Director Award for the film at the Critics Choice Association's Celebration of Black Cinema & Television in Los Angeles.
The film belongs to Rosalind Eleazar. The Slow Horses standout plays Misty, an Emmy-winning actress whose career has gone cold. She has seven days to move out of her late ex-boyfriend's house, no steady work, and one long shot: a director who is casting a new version of Dreamgirls and might just give her the role of Deena.
Rock plays that director, Jordan Green.
A Deep Bench Around Her
Daniel Kaluuya plays Misty's brother. Adam Driver is Zach, a filmmaker friend with problems of his own. Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace, Anthony Anderson and Tracie Thoms fill out the cast, with Kira Kelly behind the camera as cinematographer and a score by bass legend Marcus Miller.
It's Rock's fourth feature as a director, after Head of State, I Think I Love My Wife and Top Five, and it's the least jokey of the bunch. Critics have been split on the movie itself. They have not been split on its star. The film sits at 73 on Metacritic, and the Associated Press called Eleazar's work one of the best performances of the year.
She's been collecting hardware to match. Eleazar took the Breakthrough Actor Award at the Middleburg Film Festival and was honored with a Breakthrough Award at SCAD Savannah last month.
Why Netflix, and Why So Fast
Misty Green premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and opened in limited release on October 9. A24 movies usually head to HBO Max after theaters, so the quick trip to Netflix raised some eyebrows. Rock's history there helps explain it. He has released several stand-up specials with the streamer, including Selective Outrage, its first live event.
Rock will be in good company on Monday. Roy Wood Jr. hosts the ninth annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, where Debbie Allen receives the Icon Award and Quinta Brunson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jaafar Jackson and Anthony Mackie are also being honored. The ceremony will premiere on the Critics Choice Association's YouTube channel in December.
Misty Green is streaming now on Netflix.
