Chris Rock is one of the most beloved stand-up comedians in America, yet also managed to use his charisma and incredible comic timing to secure an incredibly successful career as a movie star.
In the three decades since his career in movies began, he’s grown and grown, having bigger hits and making audiences laugh all across the globe.
He’s had plenty of unforgettable movies to his name, and we’re going to look at some of the essentials in our guide below.
Whether you’re in the mood for a laugh out loud comedy or an interesting drama, our list of 10 unforgettable Chris Rock movies worth seeing will have you covered. Read on!
10. Spiral (2021)
We’re starting our list with one of the more interesting and out there choices in Chris Rock’s impressive movie career.
As you’ll know, the stand-up comedian typically goes for comedy movies, where he can put his range of comic abilities to good use. “Spiral”, however, is a horror thriller entry into the famously scary (and famously gory) “Saw” franchise.
Interestingly enough, the movie was heavily influenced by Rock. He was a big fan of the “Saw” franchise (which already had 8 films) and wanted to branch out into the horror genre, trying his talents at something new.
As a result, he polished up the already-written script for “Spiral” and made his horror debut.
Though it may not be the most effective of the “Saw” films, it still has plenty of gory fun (if you’re the type of person who can stomach it!).
On top of that, it’s very interesting to see Chris Rock in such a different type of movie, making it well worth checking out.
9. I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
This is a riotously funny comedy from the famous Keenan Ivory Wayans, who both directs and stars.
The film is a parody of Blaxploitation films, which were very popular in the 1970s, and would be created by black filmmakers and made for black audiences.
Though they often focused on crime and drugs, they were actually progressive in their depiction of black characters with power and influence – a new image for cinema screens at that time.
This parody is about a man who comes home to the ghetto and finds that his brother has died from an overdose of gold chains. The man decides to take revenge, hunting down the white crime boss responsible.
Chris Rock only has a small role in the film, but a very memorable one. On top of that, it’s one of his very first movie roles ever, and you can tell that he’s got the chops even way back then.
His hilarious scene sees him as a tricky customer trying to order a single rib from a diner, Rock making a rib-tickling (if you’ll excuse the pun) impression in just a brief amount of time.
8. New Jack City (1991)
This terrific crime film is all about two cops (one of them rapper Ice T) who try to bring down an infamous drug lord (an incredible Wesley Snipes).
It’s full of style, excitement, and explosive action. On top of that, it’s got a fantastic soundtrack.
“New Jack City” was one of Chris Rock’s first proper roles. He plays Pookie, a homeless and poverty-stricken young man who sadly becomes a crack addict.
His connections to the underworld are put to good use, though, when the cops help him become a police informant, essential to nailing the drug lord.
Rock gives a committed performance, both funny and sad, and he impressively embodies the spirit of somebody addicted to crack.
7. Grown Ups (2010)
From one of Chris Rock’s earliest roles to one of his biggest and most famous. Rock became part of Adam Sandler’s whole crew of movie regulars, with many small roles in a whole bunch of Adam Sandler comedy movies.
This is one of the ones where he’s got a key role, alongside other Sandler regulars Kevin James, Rob Schneider, and David Spade.
Grown Ups is all about five lifelong friends who have been pals since high school. They reunite 3 decades after their high school basketball championship, coming together in memory of their recently-passed old basketball coach.
Their wives come along for the ride, too, while the group of guys get into incredibly silly and hilarious situations. Really, the film is a full-on comedy full of chaos and big laughs.
Chris Rock works brilliantly alongside the other comedy-greats, and the fun and enjoyment that the ast are having is infectious to the audience
6. The Longest Yard (2005)
Another Adam Sandler comedy movie, this sees Sandler as a washed-up former football quarterback.
He gets in trouble with the law and, in order to get his prison sentence reduced, he agrees to assemble a football team made up of inmates, who will all play against the prison guards.
It’s a remake of a Burt Reynolds movie from 1974, and Reynolds also stars in this one as a coach who helps the inmate team grow stronger.
There’s plenty of laughs to be had with this comedy, and Chris Rock plays as “Caretaker”, one of the other inmates and essentially Sandler’s right hand man.
With the team struggling, Caretaker convinces Sandler’s character to use more of the black inmates.
Rock and Sandler make a great comedic duo, which especially makes this comedy movie well worth checking out.
5. Death At A Funeral (2010)
This chaotic comedy is all about the mess that happens when Aaron (Chris Rock) tries to organize his father’s funeral. Things look like they’re going normally until the wrong body is delivered to them with hilarious results.
On top of that, plenty of other disasters begin to unfold.
For one, an uncle begins to get annoyed with his daughter, causing chaos among the funeral congregation, while the finance of a cousin also arrives high on drugs. Chaos continues and family secrets begin to come out.
Rock is hilarious as the central guy trying to hold the funeral together, reacting to the chaos and trying to get things back on track.
4. Nurse Betty (2000)
From the same director as “Death At A Funeral”, this hilarious balck comedy is all about a waitress named Betty (Renée Zellweger) who becomes delusional after she sees her husband get murdered by two hit men.
In her delusional state, she begins obsessing over her favorite character from a television soap opera, who she begins to pursue.
The two hit men who killed Betty’s husband are played by Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock – which is a brilliant pairing! There’s plenty of laughs to have from these two criminals, and their chemistry is second to none.
Better yet, so much of the comedy is black comedy and dark, which means you’ll spend half the time wondering whether you should be laughing or not! It’s a very funny, very dark time and well worth your time.
3. Dogma (1999)
A hilarious comedy from one of the best American independent movie directors, Kevin Smith, this movie is all about two fallen angels (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) who are trying to find a loophole to get back into heaven. Only thing is, their loophole will destroy humanity.
A group bands together in order to stop the angels. The group includes Rufus, played by Chris Rock, who is the 13th apostle.
There’s plenty of hilarious comedy in this great time of a movie, which takes a stoner approach to religion to enormously enjoyable results.
2. CB4 (1993)
This underseen and brilliant comedy is all about a fictional rap group named “CB4”.
The group includes Albert (Chris Rock), and the trio are trying to get their big break and become famous for their music. Things don’t seem hopeful, however, until a nightclub owner gets arrested.
Albert takes the name and sketchy past of the owner, turning him into a rapper, and pretending to be felons recently released from jail helps the rap group to become famous.
However, the group begin to battle between themselves, and the nightclub owner escapes from prison wanting revenge. It’s a hilarious premise that’s full of great comic moments (especially from Chris Rock) and humorous parodies of 1990s rap groups.
1. Madagascar (2005)
For our top spot we’ve got the hit (and hilarious) animated classic, “Madagascar”. The movie is all about four spoiled animals from a zoo who accidentally get shipwrecked on Madagascar, having to fend for themselves and find their way back.
Ben Stiller voices the lion, Alex, while Chris Rock voices his best friend Marty, a zebra. It’s a brilliant family comedy with plenty of subtle jokes for the grown-ups too, and spawned a whole bunch of sequels.
Besides the four main animals, there are the rascal-like penguins and the crazy lemurs who have grown to be beloved the world over.
Final Thoughts
Chris Rock has made many brilliant movies, but you can find the 10 best with our list. Get watching and get laughing!
If you liked this article, you might enjoy our post on ‘15 Unforgettable Cameron Diaz Movies Worth Seeing‘.
I’d like to think I know a lot about films - at least that’s what my peers tell me after I’m done boring them to tears with my knowledge surrounding any movie that comes into the conversation!
I think the people in my life are getting a little bored of my teachings, so now I bring them to you - to hopefully find people who will get as excited as I do when talking about films. Please enjoy my reviews and commentaries, and feel free to jump in at any point and discuss.
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