After dying before his time, an aspiring black comic gets a second shot at life - by being placed in the body of a wealthy white businessman.After dying before his time, an aspiring black comic gets a second shot at life - by being placed in the body of a wealthy white businessman.After dying before his time, an aspiring black comic gets a second shot at life - by being placed in the body of a wealthy white businessman.
- Awards
- 3 nominations total
Kedar Brown
- Heckler
- (as Kedar)
Adam Dannheisser
- Doorman
- (as Adam Dannheiser)
Featured reviews
Chris Rock is funny in this film, even if most of the rest of what he's surrounded isn't. Rock has been able to elivate films with his outstanding supporting roles including them in New Jack City, Dogma and Nurse Betty (Betty and Dogma actually getting such a boost by him they got in my top ten lists), but here, he is brought on the second time in a starring role. While he is slightly funnier here than in CB4, he isn't as good as he could've been.
What Rock stars in is a remake of a remake that is probably from a play and that might also be a flaw. Rock and his staff of writers (ie Chris Rock show) do what they can with they're script about a flawful comedian named Lance who gets sent up to heaven to early and is sent back in a body for a short while, except the body is white. While many of the scenes with Rock as Lance inside the old white guy aren't laugh out loud funny, they are interesting for me being a Chris Rock fan (seeing a man like the one Chris gets himself into telling his famous Black Mall skit had me thinking while laughing). Not always on the money, to say the least, but it isn't a waste of total time. B
What Rock stars in is a remake of a remake that is probably from a play and that might also be a flaw. Rock and his staff of writers (ie Chris Rock show) do what they can with they're script about a flawful comedian named Lance who gets sent up to heaven to early and is sent back in a body for a short while, except the body is white. While many of the scenes with Rock as Lance inside the old white guy aren't laugh out loud funny, they are interesting for me being a Chris Rock fan (seeing a man like the one Chris gets himself into telling his famous Black Mall skit had me thinking while laughing). Not always on the money, to say the least, but it isn't a waste of total time. B
This is a cute but unfortunately mild and tepid movie. There are some (very few) exceptionally funny lines. Chris Rock does two short spots on stage. Both are very funny. That's it.
The romance is cute but not entertaining enough to care about the characters. Chris is very stiff throughout the whole movie except when he is on stage those 2 rare and short times.
Chris Rock just didn't rock in this one. 5/10.
The romance is cute but not entertaining enough to care about the characters. Chris is very stiff throughout the whole movie except when he is on stage those 2 rare and short times.
Chris Rock just didn't rock in this one. 5/10.
- Zafoid
To enjoy any fantasy comedy, the viewer must be able to suspend disbelief. It is impossible to suspend disbelief for Down to Earth.
Why do we see Chris Rock as Chris Rock, when everyone around him sees him as Charles Wellington, rich, fat white man? Why? Because the producers thought they could make more money showcasing Rock, than having us see Rock as Wellington. It ruins much of the movie's attempted humor. For example, when Rock (as Wellington) uses the "N" word, black folks who hear him become furious, and we have to remember that he is supposedly this rich, fat white man.
The film does have some funny moments, and Regina King is attractive as the love interest. It could have been really good, though.
Why do we see Chris Rock as Chris Rock, when everyone around him sees him as Charles Wellington, rich, fat white man? Why? Because the producers thought they could make more money showcasing Rock, than having us see Rock as Wellington. It ruins much of the movie's attempted humor. For example, when Rock (as Wellington) uses the "N" word, black folks who hear him become furious, and we have to remember that he is supposedly this rich, fat white man.
The film does have some funny moments, and Regina King is attractive as the love interest. It could have been really good, though.
There were some funny moments in this movie, but overall I was unimpressed. I recognize that this movie is supposed to be a comedy, but it really fell short of being funny. Why did they have to bring Rock back as an old white man. The old white man really had nothing to do with the movie. Rock didn't act like an old white man. He didn't look like the old white man (at least not to the audience). He didn't even seem like he was an old white man. Yet no one really cared.
Now, I know that this is supposed to be funny, but all I really felt was embarrassed.
Chris, until you can become a real actor, go back to stand up.
Now, I know that this is supposed to be funny, but all I really felt was embarrassed.
Chris, until you can become a real actor, go back to stand up.
Lots of negative comments from people who don't like Chris Rock. Well gee, if you don't like someone the chances are you won't like what they're in! Now I happen to like Chris Rock a lot; his "Bigger and Blacker" comedy performance is damn near perfect. Also enjoyed him in "Dogma," and of course his HBO series. But this film is pretty lame, the saddest part being the under-utilization of some really talented people like Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge, completely wasted here but SO funny in "Best of Show," which also starred Levy and is incredibly funny! But "Heaven Can Wait" was a lame remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," the best version of the story, starring Claude Rains and Robert Montgomery. It runs on TCM from time to time and is worth seeing.
Did you know
- TriviaChris Rock was inspired to remake Le ciel peut attendre (1978) after he heard that Muhammad Ali originally pursued to star in that movie. Rock then thought that Richard Pryor would have been great in the role and changed the main character into an African-American comedian.
- GoofsIn the scene where Lance and Sontee are eating hot dogs, Sontee puts the hot dog in her mouth, then when the camera angle changes, she's bringing a whole hot dog to her mouth.
- Quotes
Lance Barton: I had a hard enough time trying to get this girl as a rich white man. Do you know how hard it's gonna be to try to get her as a broke black man?
- SoundtracksEverything Is Everything
Written & Arranged by Lauryn Hill
With additional lyrical contribution by Johari Newton
Performed by Lauryn Hill
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
- How long is Down to Earth?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $49,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $64,186,502
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $17,268,883
- Feb 18, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $71,186,502
- Runtime
- 1h 27m(87 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content