Five Chris Rock Films To Watch Before He Touches Down In Aus

US comedy legend Chris Rock touches down in Australia later this month, and here are five of his classic films to get you in the mood for Total Blackout.

Top Five

A recent film from 2014 in which Chris Rock starred, wrote and directed.

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The storyline is about Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson), a New York Times profile writer, who spends a day interviewing comedian and recovering alcoholic Andre Allen (Chris Rock). He’s been off the rails for a few years but unexpectedly finds fame via the film trilogy, Hammy The Bear. Allen plays a cop in a bear suit.

Yet, Allen wants more serious film roles and in the movie Uprize, he portrays Haitian Revolution figure Dutty Boukman. His portrayal is criticised by New York Times film critic James Nielson, who has never been a fan of Allen’s work. Unexpectedly, Allen opens up to Brown, and as they travel their way across New York, Allen tries to get back in touch with his comedic roots.

Dogma

A Kevin Smith classic.

An abortion clinic worker (Linda Fiorentino) with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) from reentering heaven and thus undoing the fabric of the universe. Along the way, she is aided by two prophets, Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith). With the help of Rufus (Chris Rock), the 13th Apostle, they must stop those who stand in their way and prevent the angels from entering heaven.

The Longest Yard

A 2005 remake of the 1974 film featuring Burt Reynolds, who also appears but in a different role for this updated version.

Adam Sandler plays Paul "Wrecking" Crewe, a disgraced pro-gridiron player who ends up in prison because of a drink-driving incident. Warden Hazen (James Cromwell) is well aware of who Crewe is and hatches a plan to boost his prison's reputation as future State Governor and intimidates Crewe into helping the prison guards' football team.

He does so with the help of fellow inmate and newfound friend, Caretaker (Chris Rock). It doesn’t start well for Crewe and the team but another prisoner takes notice, former college football star Nate Scarborough (Burt Reynolds), who puts his hand up to assist with coaching the team by gathering several intimidating inmates as a boost to the team's strength. Of course, some hilarious moments ensue on the way to a pretty obvious ending.

Fun fact: This was released in the cinemas on the same day as his Madagascar animated movie.

Madagascar

Madagascar was a huge hit upon release and features voices from Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sacha Baron Cohen.

The film is set in New York's Central Park Zoo where four best friends – a zebra, a lion, a giraffe, and a hippo – are the most popular animals of the zoo. Rock voices Marty, the wise talking Zebra. They have led a cushy life in captivity but Marty let’s his curiosity get the better of him and escapes — unwittingly assisted by four absconding penguins - to explore the world. His friends break out looking for him and they all find themselves on a ship en route to Madagascar in Africa. The four friends soon learn what a wild experience it is to be in the wild!

CB4

One of Chris Rock’s early movies. Released in 1993 when Rock was only 28 years old, although he’s a man who looks younger than what he is. The movie is shot documentary style – “rapumentary” perhaps? - and follows the rise to fame of a rap/hip-hop trio featuring MC Gusto (Rock), Stab Master Arson (Deezer D), and Dead Mike (Allen Payne), AKA “CB4”.

It’s not long into the movie that it's evident these middle-class kids don’t know much about rap and hip hop, but they know how to play the part of a rap star. The movie is a parody of the rap and hip-hop culture of the '80s and '90s in particular NWA. There are many cameos including rappers Ice Cube, Ice T, Eazy E, and even a young Shaquille O’Neill.