Review: Chris Rock's Outrageous, Laugh Out Loud Showbiz Comedy 'Top Five'

"It's never just a movie," says Chris Rock's Andre Allen in "Top Five," and that sentiment definitely applies to the comedy veteran's latest directorial effort. While on the surface it's an incisive and playful look at celebrity, media, and fame, it's also about the difficulty, fear, and risk of stepping outside your comfort zone, whether in your career or personal life. While there are many meta layers to "Top Five"—also written by Rock, clearly drawing from his many years in the industry—it avoids the trap of simply being a celebrity vehicle about celebrity, by displaying a surprising heart beneath its very funny surface.

The film follows Andre—a familiar but very fictionalized version of Rock himself—and finds the popular A-lister at a crossroads. His wedding to reality star Erica Long (Gabrielle Union) is just a few days away and will be a big TV event on Bravo. Meanwhile, Andre—who has risen to stardom with his "Hammy" action/comedy...