Down to Earth

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

When Rock finds his authentic swing as an actor as well as a comedian, he'll be, like, a movie god.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

Rock is such a consistent delight, and so powerfully amused at the profound pleasure of being Chris Rock, that he shares the wealth with all of us.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Rock, who seems to have studied every nuance of Beatty's Oscar-nominated comic performance -- is surprisingly appealing in what is often a straight role.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

A little too shipshape, too eager to please, not quite as anarchic as the best comedies.

Philadelphia Inquirer Desmond Ryan

What Rock fans will sorely miss in Down to Earth is the earthiness and outrageous hilarity of his stand-up act.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

It's Rock's first venture into leading-man territory, and the material is carefully tailored to his measurements. He's fully believable as a standup comic. How he'll fare as a character other than Chris Rock is yet to be determined.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

The Weitzes haven't come up with a masterpiece in Down to Earth, but they have put their stamp on a perfectly pleasant 90-minute diversion

Village Voice Caleb Crain

There is a lot of electricity running in these cables, and directors Chris and Paul Weitz, responsible for "American Pie," know how to tap enough of it that almost every minute of Down to Earth is entertaining. But not quite surprising.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

It's slight but likable, and diverting enough as light entertainment.

USA Today Mike Clark

This remake is shorter than its predecessors, a welcome earthly reward.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

This one is shot, recorded and edited without so much as a pinch of craft -- it's one of the ugliest big studio films in a long while.

Slate Matt Feeney

Rock (is) arguably the best comedian in America, as well as a curiously important cultural figure. It does not, however, make him an actor. In fact, it makes him something like the opposite of an actor. He does not produce lifelike gestures and emotions.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Plays to none of Rock's strengths (even though he co-wrote the film with members of his HBO team) and intensifies his tendency to mug and shout.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Proving once again that no matter how many times you remake a film it's tough to top the original.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Mr. Rock's attempts to disentangle himself from his persona while offering audiences a sliver of insight into his world is a lofty ambition, but Down to Earth falls short.

Mr. Showbiz Larry Terenzi

The selling out of Chris Rock -- or Down to Earth, as he's chosen to call it -- is a sad, sad thing.

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait," released in 1978, was a comic fantasy about a near-death experience. This new version is a near-life experience.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

An astonishingly bad movie, and the most astonishing thing about it comes in the credits: Written by Elaine May, Warren Beatty, Chris Rock, Lance Crouther, Ali LeRoi and Louis CK. These are credits that deserve a place in the Writers Hall of Fame.

New York Magazine Peter Rainer

If Rock ever comes to his senses, he can host Saturday Night Live and skewer this damp, gag-riddled civics lesson of a movie.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

For a comedy, there are precious few real laughs. Three to be exact.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Rock is undisputably gifted and charismatic, but when Down to Earth takes his edge away, the film's energy goes with it. And without energy, no comedy can survive.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Not funny at all.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Mr. Rock's opening scene is very funny. After that it's a steep downhill slide.

Film.com Ernest Hardy

Pandering and tired, Down to Earth lurches from one dead gag to the other, in search of both comedic rhythm and a dramatic pulse. It finds neither.

Variety Todd McCarthy

A very earthbound comic fantasy, a racially flip-flopped "Heaven Can Wait" redo stuck in a purgatory with just enough meager laughs to keep it from a more fiery fate.

LA Weekly Paul Malcolm

The film seems to argue that Rock's real-life manipulation of the race card is little more than exploitation, rather than the essence of his incendiary comic critique.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

The call on this one is: dead on arrival.

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

Penned by Rock and a handful of his pals, is such an utter disaster it seems to go out of its way to avoid comedy. It's the very definition of oxymoron: a crowd-pleaser that doesn't.