Chris Rock’s new movie is here, and critics can’t agree on it. Misty Green, which Rock wrote and directed, opened in limited release on Friday, Oct. 9, through A24. It’s a dark Hollywood satire led by Rosalind Eleazar, with Daniel Kaluuya, Adam Driver and Anna Kendrick in support. Here’s what it’s about, what the critics are saying and IAHHM’s take on whether it’s worth your ticket.
The Basics
- Director/Writer: Chris Rock
- Cast: Rosalind Eleazar, Daniel Kaluuya, Adam Driver, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace, Chris Rock, Anthony Anderson, Tracie Thoms
- Runtime: 1 hour, 43 minutes
- Rated: R
- Where to watch: In theaters (limited release from A24) starting Oct. 9, 2026. No streaming date has been announced.
The film premiered as a Gala Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and was also picked for the Main Slate of the New York Film Festival. (Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes)
What It’s About
Eleazar plays Misty Green, a former TV star who’s broke and mostly forgotten by the industry. According to TheWrap’s review, she’s squatting in a Santa Monica apartment that a now-dead producer once gave her, and his widow wants her out. So Misty goes for a comeback, including a shot at a role in a new Dreamgirls production, while she fights her own self-destructive habits and tries to look out for her struggling brother Jay, played by Kaluuya. Topher Grace plays her old agent, and Rock casts himself as a casting director who knows Misty from back in the day. (TheWrap)
One fun piece of backstory: Rock said Kaluuya was “kind of retired” before this movie and that he had to beg him to do it. (World of Reel)
What the Critics Are Saying
As of Saturday morning, Misty Green sits at 60% on Rotten Tomatoes from 47 reviews and has a 68 Metascore on Metacritic (“generally favorable”) from 24 reviews. On Metacritic, 58% of those reviews are positive and 38% are mixed. In other words, it’s a split decision. (Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic)
The one thing critics keep coming back to: Rosalind Eleazar. The Slow Horses actor gets the spotlight here. TheWrap’s headline says the film “finds a star” in her, and even its harshest critic credits her energy and commitment.
- TheWrap (Steve Pond) called it fun but uneven, with sharp Hollywood satire, powerful singing scenes and a heartbreaking performance from Kaluuya. His big praise: “Eleazar is an unstoppable force playing a very stoppable force.” His knock is that the film runs out of steam and the ending “feels abrupt and not entirely satisfying.” (TheWrap)
- RogerEbert.com (Cortlyn Kelly) found it stronger as a portrait of a woman putting herself first than as an exposé of Hollywood, and said “Eleazar is stellar in every second.” (RogerEbert.com)
- The Film Stage (Jourdain Searles) went the other way. Searles called it “a disaster on all fronts,” arguing the film is hostile toward its own lead, treats Misty like a plot device instead of a person, and wastes Driver, Kendrick and Kaluuya. (The Film Stage)
IAHHM’s Take
This is IAHHM’s informed take, based on the film’s verified details and the critical conversation around it.
Misty Green is the kind of movie the culture should be arguing about. It’s a Black-led, Black-directed Hollywood satire from one of the sharpest comedic minds of the last 30 years, with a lead performance critics on both sides keep pointing to. A story about a forgotten TV star chasing a Dreamgirls comeback hits close to home for anybody who has watched favorite TV faces disappear once the cameras stopped rolling. That’s very much IAHHM territory.
The concerns are real, though. Even the positive reviews flag problems: TheWrap says the movie runs out of steam and the ending stops short, and RogerEbert.com found its themes unevenly handled. The Film Stage’s critique of how the film treats its own lead is the one to keep in mind going in. This isn’t a feel-good comeback movie. From what critics describe, Rock is more interested in how the industry chews people up than in giving Misty a clean win.
Still, a 68 on Metacritic and broad praise for Eleazar make this a theater trip worth considering, especially if you’ve been waiting on Rock to make something with an edge again. And if a Kaluuya return is what gets you in the seat, TheWrap calls his turn as Misty’s brother heartbreaking, though The Film Stage felt the script underserved him.
The Verdict
IAHHM Verdict: Worth a look (3 out of 5). It’s an uneven, sometimes uncomfortable Hollywood satire that’s held up by a breakout performance from Rosalind Eleazar.
Watch it if… you like Chris Rock at his most cutting, you want to catch a breakout performance before the awards talk starts, or you want something sharper and messier than the usual comeback story. Skip it if you need a clean, uplifting ending.
Sources
- Rotten Tomatoes: Misty Green
- Metacritic: Misty Green
- TheWrap: Misty Green review
- RogerEbert.com: Misty Green review
- The Film Stage: NYFF review
- Wikipedia: Misty Green
- World of Reel: Rock on Kaluuya
