Chris Rock’s first film behind the camera in more than a decade landed at the Toronto International Film Festival with a performance that festival crowds and critics are already calling an early lead actress front-runner. “Misty Green,” which A24 will release in theaters October 9, stars Rosalind Eleazar as a once-successful actress scrambling to rebuild her career and finances after the death of the wealthy partner who had been bankrolling her lifestyle.
Rock wrote and directed the film, his third feature after “Head of State” and “Top Five,” and cast himself alongside Adam Driver, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace and Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Misty’s brother in his first major screen role in years. The story tracks roughly a week in Misty’s life as she chases a paycheck large enough to cover both her Santa Monica upkeep and her brother’s care, colliding along the way with former colleagues and old grudges from the industry that made her famous.
Eleazar’s performance has drawn the loudest reaction. A screen-test sequence built around an audition for “The Devil Wears Prada” stood out to reviewers, as did a lounge rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep” and a later musical set piece drawn from “Dreamgirls.” At the post-screening question session, Eleazar told the audience she pursued the role aggressively after reading the script, calling it an honest look at the uglier corners of the entertainment business. Only one Black actress, Halle Berry for 2001’s “Monster’s Ball,” has won the lead actress Oscar, a fact several critics raised while discussing Eleazar’s chances this season.
Rock has been candid about his own awards history during the promotional run. He told Variety he would return to the Oscars ceremony only if “Misty Green” earns a nomination, and not as host, a pointed reference to his history with the show that includes the 2022 incident when Will Smith struck him on stage. Rock has also said he built the film around a flawed, self-sabotaging woman because he wanted to see that kind of character played by a Black actress, something he said the industry has rarely allowed.
Producers on the project include David Worthen Brooks and Peter Rice, with Miles Alva, Nelson George, Shaum S. Sengupta and Max Henke serving as executive producers.
