Known for his smart, provocative humour, comedian Chris Rock seems like an unusual candidate to deliver a complex portrait of womanhood. Yet, that’s exactly what he achieves with his newest film, Misty Green. The film follows the life of the titular character Misty Green (Rosalind Eleazar, Slow Horses) over the course of seven days, as she attempts to get her life back on track following her eviction from her former lover’s apartment by his unsympathetic widow.

Misty is a once-celebrated actress trying to revive her stalled career, stuck in a cycle of self-destructive behaviour and disappointing relationships with men. She’s a fierce and driven woman, confident in her talent and determined to live life on her own time, by her own standards. She tells her best friend (Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect, Woman of the Hour) that she doesn’t need a man around to forgive her for her mistakes.

Yet things aren’t so straightforward for Misty, who is ageing out of her usual roles (her competitors at auditions keep telling her how much their parents love her work) and has a reputation for being difficult to work with (she butts heads with a prickly casting director (Tracie Thoms) almost constantly). Alongside her fruitless work life and unhelpful agent, Misty is responsible for the care of her mentally ill brother (played beautifully by Daniel Kaluuya), whom she loves but can’t seem to help. To escape the stress, Misty’s nights are filled with heavy partying, drugs, alcohol and the wrong kind of people – especially her former co-star Zach (Adam Driver, Paper Tiger), who doesn’t understand her desire to continue working in Hollywood and pressures her to come to Dubai with him, where he supplies Saudi Princes with girls.

However, Misty is too headstrong and talented to throw in the towel. She’s offered a lifeline when she becomes close with Hollywood director Jordan Green (Rock), who is rebooting Dreamgirls and determined to make a hit. Green senses something special in Misty, and the two are able to communicate openly, which urges Misty to focus on her goals. However, life, as it always does, keeps getting in her way.

Misty Green draws interesting comparisons with the iconic work of Pam Grier. Grier is a Hollywood legend, known best for her work in 1970’s blaxploitation cinema (Coffy, Foxy Brown), which celebrated bold, independent, and unconventional female characters. Grier cultivated an image of unapologetic femininity and revolted against the conventions usually placed on female characters. Rock’s film evokes Grier’s legacy with his exploration of Misty’s self-determination and the forces at play which seek to define Black womanhood.

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There are lots of ideas flying around in Misty Green. Rock demonstrates a keen satirical eye for social issues, although his tendency to foreground broader social commentary occasionally feels somewhat distracting to Misty’s journey. Yet, although certain ideas feel sprawling in the moment, over the course of the film, Rock’s persistence to build conversations around class, race and gender begins to inform the world Misty inhabits. Like Grier’s characters, Misty’s struggles begin to feel like a product of the world she exists within.

There are frequent visuals of a huge mural of Marilyn Monroe in Billy Wilder’s The Seven Year Itch, which feels extremely relevant to Misty’s experience of Hollywood, given the industry’s determination to exploit Monroe at every turn and the magnitude of her defiance in the face of it. It’s very rewarding to stick with Rock as he examines the world around Misty, and watch as she both pushes back against it and succumbs to it.

Refreshing, too, is spending time with a female character allowed space to be genuine, messy, flawed, selfish, biting, vulnerable and challenged by her idea of love. Rock bakes a lot of fun and humour into his film, which shine through the most in his music choices. A recurring use of I Love It by Charli XCX and Icona Pop is implemented well, and a performance from the one and only Busta Rhymes almost blows the roof off the joint.

However, it’s the performances which make Misty Green a truly special film. Rock gives a very pure-hearted performance, and Kaluuya is up to his usual magic, sending tingles up the spine every time he enters a scene. The supporting cast (Topher Grace, Anthony Anderson, Amy Landecker) are also fantastic, making Misty’s world as messy and complicated as she is herself. However, Eleazar is the bright light at the centre of the piece. She embodies Misty and treats her with great care and consideration. While elements of the film occasionally feel expansive and rambling, when it comes to Misty, her presence always makes the character feel focused.

Misty Green is a surprising offering from Rock, but an extremely welcome one. It’s the kind of film which could very easily be misunderstood or judged for its choices. However, Rock proves himself again as a filmmaker willing to take chances and build ideas into his narrative. It is a confident, creative and wonderful piece of cinema.

★★★★

Playing at the 2026 BFI London Film Festival on October 12th & 18th / Rosalind Eleazar, Adam Driver, Daniel Kalluya, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace, Chris Rock / A24 / 15