Chris Rock has been making the headlines more than ever thanks to the Will Smith slap, and that's a shame considering all of the gifts the man has given the comedy world and the population at large.
Undebatably one of the best standup comics of all time, Rock has also had a relatively smooth transition into film over the years. As far as Metacritic is concerned, there are as many good examples as bad. Not every Rock movie has been great, but there have been surprisingly solid remakes and successful animated franchise installments peppered in between.
Death At A Funeral (2010): 51
• Available to stream on Netflix
With a Metascore of 51, the Americanized remake of Death at a Funeral sits just over the halfway mark, in comparison to the British original's generally favorable 67.
The Chris Rock-led re-do received "mixed or average" reviews from critics and it seems that audiences felt about the same, as it holds a comparable user score of 5.1. Regardless, it's a perfectly innocuous and breezy time at the movies that makes for good Sunday afternoon viewing.
Madagascar (2005): 57
• Available to stream on Vudu
Just as much one of Sacha Baron Cohen's best movies as it is Rock's, the original Madagascar spawned a film franchise that's been spun off via several TV series and 2014's Penguins of Madagascar.
The animated adventure holds a score of 57 on Metacritic, indicating mixed or average reviews. However, its user score is a good deal higher at 6.8, which indicates that the general audience was favorable towards it. And that trend would continue with the sequels.
Osmosis Jones (2001): 57
• Available to stream on Netflix
Osmosis Jones was effectively the Farrelly brothers' gross-out version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. The live-action segments follow Bill Murray's Frank DeTorre, a slobbish zoo worker who makes no effort to keep his body healthy.
The animated segments take place within him; Rock leads as Osmosis Jones, a white blood cell charged with taking down a deadly and malicious pathogen (Laurence Fishburne). The movie flopped at the box office, and it does dive too far into the gross side of gross-out comedy, but the casting is top-notch, as is the general concept. And Fishburne's Thrax is one of the most underrated villains from 2000s animated movies. The film holds an average Metascore of 57 and a slightly higher and favorable user score of 6.2.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012): 60
• Available to rent on Amazon
Dreamworks' third installment of the reluctant animal friends saga, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) is another successful entry in the franchise. Joining Rock, Pinkett Smith, Schwimmer, and Stiller for the third outing were Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Martin Short, and Frances McDormand in the villainous role.
Madagascar 3's Metascore of 60 is higher than the original film's, but just below the first sequel's score. And like the two films that preceded it, Europe's Most Wanted's user score is higher than its Metascore at 6.6.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008): 61
• Available to rent on Vudu
Rock returned to his comedic voice acting gig as Marty the zebra in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, which Metacritic considers to be the best of the trilogy by a narrow margin.
One point made all the difference, as the second Madagascar's score of 61 puts it in the generally favorable category, whereas Madagascar 3's 60 indicates a more mixed reception. Just as the second installment has the highest Metascore, it also holds the highest user score (by a narrow margin) of 6.9.
New Jack City (1991): 61
• Available to stream on tubi
Mario Van Peebles' New Jack City was one of the more successful 1990s crime films, and the most poignant one to point its lens at the crack epidemic. The movie is backed by a lot of heart, empathy, and an incredible lead performance from Wesley Snipes as drug lord Nino Brown.
Rock portrayed "Pookie" Benny Robinson, who gets shot in the leg by Ice-T's detective Scotty Appleton. After getting pushed even lower by crack, Pookie is saved and put through rehab by Detective Appleton. Pookie wants purpose, and agrees to go undercover in Brown's organization. Rock isn't in the entire movie but his character is easily the most memorable outside of Snipes'. The movie holds a generally favorable Metascore of 61 and an even higher user score of 7.5.
2 Days In New York (2012): 61
• Stream on HBO Max
Co-written, directed, and starring Julie Delpy, 2 Days in New York pairs the star of Before Sunrise with comedy legend Rock, and the results worked for most critics, but not necessarily for viewers in general.
2 Days in New York holds a generally favorable score of 61 and a lower user score of 5.4, which indicates an average response. What's interesting is how this contrasts with Delpy's previous installment, 2 Days in Paris, which holds a Metascore of 67 and a user score of 6.5, both of which are a bit better.
Nurse Betty (2000): 69
• Available to rent on Amazon
Rock is an actor with a recognizable voice, but in Nurse Betty, he was partnered with the narration king: Morgan Freeman. The film follows Renée Zellweger's widowed housewife-waitress, who just watched a pair of hitmen (Rock and Freeman) murder her husband. Now, she's off to LA to pursue a relationship with Dr. David Ravell, which is actually just a character portrayed by actor George McCord (Greg Kinnear).
Nurse Betty is quirky to the point of being divisive. The film's Metascore of 69 shows that the film was given mostly high marks from critics. However, the movie's user score stands at a dreadful 1.1, which indicates "overwhelming dislike."
Dolemite Is My Name (2019): 76
• Available to stream on Netflix
One of Eddie Murphy's best movies, Dolemite Is My Name featured Rock in a supporting role as DJ Bobby Vale. Rock doesn't play the biggest role in the film, but he still gets to show off his quick wit and smart mouth.
The Netflix film's Metascore of 76 shows that the film received favorable reviews from critics. Furthermore, the user score is just about the same, sitting in the same generally favorable reviews category at 7.5.
Top Five (2014): 81
• Available to stream on IMDb TV
Rock wrote and directed the only film of his to hold "universal acclaim" on Metacritic. Top Five follows Rock's comedian and movie star Andre Allen, who has to make peace with his past while discussing it with a journalist (Rosario Dawson).
Top Five's Metascore of 81 gives it a Metacritic Must-See badge, but its user score is, unfortunately, quite a bit lower. Standing at 6.8, this score indicates that general audiences were favorable towards the movie, but not over the moon.