IAHHM’s Take: This is our informed review of a film that’s getting talked about all over, built on the critical conversation and the verified details below.
Chris Rock has been chasing a certain kind of movie behind the camera for years. With Misty Green, the A24 drama he wrote, directed and co-stars in, he’s made his most serious swing yet, and it has critics split right down the middle. The one thing almost everybody agrees on? Rosalind Eleazar is the reason to show up.
The Basics
- Writer/Director: Chris Rock
- Cast: Rosalind Eleazar, Daniel Kaluuya, Adam Driver, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace, Chris Rock, Tracie Thoms, Anthony Anderson
- Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes
- Rated: R (language, drug use and sexual references)
- Distributor: A24, with Macro Film Studios producing
- Where to watch: In theaters since Oct. 9. It’s set to hit Netflix on Nov. 9, per ComingSoon, citing Deadline.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 12 before its U.S. release (Wikipedia).
What It’s About
Eleazar plays Misty, an actress who had her Hollywood breakthrough years ago and has watched her career stall ever since. Now she’s fighting for a second act, reconnecting with her old agent (Topher Grace) while her past, her habits and her brother (Daniel Kaluuya) keep pulling her back. It’s a satire of fame on paper, but it plays darker and messier than a straight comedy.
What the Critics Are Saying
On Rotten Tomatoes, Misty Green sits at 61% from 79 critic reviews. The consensus calls it “a satire of stardom that’s as fleeting as Hollywood fame” while praising Eleazar’s lead performance. Coming out of TIFF, it was sitting at 71 on Metacritic, per World of Reel.
The fans of it are loud. theGrio’s Janeé Bolden says Rock “finds his footing behind the camera,” calling it “gritty and real” and saying “it might just be his best effort yet” (theGrio). She also tags Kaluuya as the film’s standout.
The middle lane comes from The A.V. Club’s Jesse Hassenger, who gave it a C+. He calls Eleazar’s work a “hypnotic central performance,” but says Rock’s own acting and his direction in the final stretch hold the movie back: “Misty Green lives and breathes in a way that Misty Green doesn’t” (The A.V. Club).
And then there’s the hard pass. The Film Stage’s Jourdain Searles opens with “Misty Green is a disaster on all fronts,” arguing the film punishes its lead without real purpose and reduces Kaluuya to a plot device (The Film Stage).
IAHHM’s Take
Reading the room, Misty Green is a real performance showcase wrapped in a movie that isn’t sure how hard it wants to hit. The praise for Eleazar is close to unanimous, even from critics who didn’t like the film, and that matters. Hollywood doesn’t hand dark-skinned Black actresses many lead roles this layered, and this one gives her room to be talented, frustrating and human all at once.
The knocks are just as consistent. Critics keep pointing to Rock’s own on-screen role, the jumpy flashbacks and a last act that leans into Misty’s suffering. Where you land probably depends on whether “messy and bleak” sounds like honesty or punishment to you.
For the culture, it’s still a notable moment: a Black comedian making a grown-up, uncomfortable drama about fame, with a Black woman at the center and a stacked cast backing her up. That’s worth the conversation, even if the movie doesn’t stick every landing.
The Verdict
Worth a watch for Eleazar alone, but expect a bumpy ride. Catch it on the big screen if you’re a fan of actor-driven dramas, or wait for Netflix on Nov. 9 if you’re on the fence.
Watch it if… you love movies like Uncut Gems-era chaos and Hollywood-insider stories, want to see a breakout lead performance before awards season talk heats up, or you’re curious to see Chris Rock go full auteur.
Sources
- Rotten Tomatoes: Misty Green
- World of Reel: Misty Green critics’ reaction
- theGrio review
- The A.V. Club review
- The Film Stage review
- Wikipedia: Misty Green
- ComingSoon: Netflix release date
