The best thing writer/director Chris Rock does for Misty Green is set himself to the side. We know a lot about Rock, as he’s a famed stand-up who tells us everything on his mind. Whether it’s politics, his personal life, Hollywood, or even “The Slap,” it seems we already have a pretty good idea of who Rock is. At the same time, Misty Green is the kind of film that leans into experiences we can only assume he or other people he knows have had in relation to the everyday treatment of Black people. Granted, this is also somewhat a Hollywood satire, so we’re dealing with a specific type of person – a Black actress on the “wrong side of 30,” but even with that focus, leaning away from Rock’s own persona and on this character does mean exploring other challenges. I wish the film had maybe dealt with some of its own subplots a little more cleanly, or just left them out altogether. However, between a solid cast and some of Rock’s best directorial work, Misty Green shows she still has it in her to be a winner.

Rosalind Eleazar stars as Misty, a talented actress and singer who was once the next big thing. Due to her own personal demons, including succumbing to bad choices, as well as the position she is sometimes put in to care for her bipolar brother (Daniel Kaluuya), she is now only occasionally working based on her reputation and the competitive and often unfair world around her. Things take a turn when Misty finds herself forced to figure out a new living situation while also running into a former director she has history with (Chris Rock). While bad choices, such as interactions with a drug-using, womanizing filmmaker (Adam Driver), remain in her orbit, if Misty can pull herself together long enough, she may just be able to turn her career around.

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Rock’s last film, Top Five, came out in 2014 and showed a refreshingly solid side of the comic/actor/filmmaker. It was a New York-based film that, at its best, balanced Hollywood insider-based comedy with strong sequences that just involved people walking and talking. Being a studio film, it also tried to balance some larger, broader moments of comedy that ultimately held the film back from being better, but it was a good effort nonetheless. That’s fortunately not the issue with Misty Green, and even more mature film now coming from A24, and yet, there are still issues that feel like they’d be the sort of product of a major studio intending to play fair with all audiences, rather than trust them enough to go along with what’s being presented in subtler ways.

This is what holds Misty Green back from being on another level. For all the effort that properly goes into showing and not telling the audience what it means to be pushed aside for a variety of unfair reasons, Rock still finds himself overdoing it with some of the storylines put forward, let alone monologues and minor gags designed to “enhance” what’s already there, yet comes across awkwardly. The clearest example involves Kaluuya, who delivers incredible work in the small amount of time he’s on screen, but the film’s overexplaining of his past through a manipulative flashback sours the path to better appreciating the drama surrounding him and Misty. 

With that in mind, there’s still plenty to praise here, starting with Eleazar. Best known as a supporting star on the acclaimed TV series Slow Horses, she gets a chance to shine in a leading role that doesn’t shy away from showing her mistakes. Misty is by no means perfect, and it’s not just based on happenstance. She actively makes bad decisions, regardless of whatever history led up to them. At the same time, some of the best work in this film comes from the subtle ways we watch her handle microaggressions that come up frequently throughout the film (a larger theme the film doesn’t shy away from regarding all of the other Black characters as well). What’s helpful, though, is that we do see just how good Misty is as a performer and singer, enough to know why anyone would continue to want to help her, let alone put up with her actions. Embodying all of this, Eleazar shines in how she holds facial expressions and uses body language to present herself in ways that could show her good days or her bad ones.

I could also appreciate much of Rock’s attempts to present a Hollywood system that he’s been through, let alone one he knows others have been through. It’s presented with just enough flair to be funny at times, but never so heightened that it becomes too much for its own good. Topher Grace as a well-meaning agent who seems to live an honest life as a family man while also landing his troublesome client work may be one of the bigger stretches in this film. Meanwhile, Rock’s work as director, with just enough charm, may be a bit self-indulgent, but it does allow for some playful scenes that don’t find Misty entirely pushing down on herself for a change. 

The film also uses plenty of visual choices that work. An opening credits sequence that juxtaposes plenty of images scattered throughout Los Angeles does a lot to set a certain tone. That said, there are enough strong locations to make LA’s unique nature stand out as well. Even better is how Rock lets the camera rest on faces quite a bit, offering some of the film’s best moments, when it feels like he’s letting his cast deliver without having to say what’s on their mind out loud.

With a bit more fine-tuning, this film could really capitalize on what it’s trying to accomplish. As it stands, there’s still a solid film featuring a terrific lead performance. This isn’t exactly new territory to explore, but at least Rock seems to come from an honest place in trying to connect various experiences through this story. Yes, some of it is a bit clumsy, but Misty Green makes up for it with enough other strong elements to make the film feel both watchable and insightful at its best.

Misty Green opens in theaters on October 9, 2026.
Learn more about all of the films featured at this year’s New York Film Festival.