Chris Rock's 'Misty Green' Hits Theaters

Oct 8

Chris Rock Is Back Behind the Camera

Chris Rock's Misty Green opens in theaters Friday, Oct. 9, from A24. It's Rock's first feature as a director since Top Five in 2014, and he wrote it, produced it and co-stars in it.

The film arrives about a month after its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. A24 has been building toward the release with two trailers, the second dropping Sept. 24, and the October date puts it squarely in awards season.

The Story and the Cast

Rosalind Eleazar plays Misty Green, an Emmy-winning actress whose career has stalled years after her Hollywood breakthrough. Over one critical week, she fights for a second act while her reputation as "difficult" follows her into every audition room. The 103-minute dramedy also gives Eleazar a showcase as a singer, including a performance of "One Night Only" from Dreamgirls.

Actor

Role

Rosalind Eleazar

Misty Green

Daniel Kaluuya

Jay, Misty's brother

Chris Rock

Jordan, a director who offers Misty a shot at reinvention

Adam Driver

Zach

Anna Kendrick

Naomi

Topher Grace

Randy, Misty's agent

Anthony Anderson

Officer Wood

Ice-T, Tracie Thoms, Kelli Garner, Amy Landecker and Rich Sommer round out the ensemble. Rock produced with Peter Rice and David Worthen Brooks; Tommy Oliver's Confluential Films and Charles D. King's MACRO are among the companies behind it.

Why It Matters

Rosalind Eleazar's first major film lead. Best known for Slow Horses, the British actress carries the film from the title role, and she is the reason critics keep coming back to it.

Daniel Kaluuya's return to live action. The Oscar winner for Judas and the Black Messiah hasn't appeared in a live-action film since Jordan Peele's Nope in 2022. Since then, he made his directorial debut with The Kitchen and took on an associate artistic director role at London's Roundhouse.

Rock goes dramatic. Misty Green is the comedian's first move toward serious drama as a filmmaker. He uses Misty to take on how Hollywood treats Black performers, and Black women in particular. That subject is exactly where the film has drawn its sharpest debate.

What Critics Said at TIFF

The festival verdict split in one direction: Eleazar is outstanding, and the film around her is uneven. As of late September, Misty Green sat at 69% on Rotten Tomatoes from 26 reviews.

IndieWire graded it a B-, calling Eleazar tremendous in a raw but unfocused character study.
AwardsWatch gave it a C+, praising Eleazar while finding Rock's commentary on Black womanhood in Hollywood muddled and superficial.
The Playlist called Eleazar and Kaluuya magnetic but said Rock's camera and his own performance keep pulling focus from his star.
Screen Rant found it short on laughs and argued the sibling story between Eleazar and Kaluuya was the better film hiding inside it.
The AU Review was the outlier, calling it a fearless satire with sharp observations about prejudice, money and desperation.
Rendy Reviews was the harshest, arguing the film treats its lead with cruelty and needed a Black woman behind the camera.

Where to See It

Misty Green opens in U.S. theaters Friday, Oct. 9, from A24. It runs 103 minutes. Check local listings, since A24 hasn't said how wide the opening-weekend rollout will be.