Down to Earth (2001 film)
Encyclopedia
Down to Earth is a 2001 comedy film
directed by Chris
and Paul Weitz
. It is the third film adaptation
based on Harry Segall
's stageplay Heaven Can Wait, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan
(1941) and Heaven Can Wait
(1978). The film stars Chris Rock
as Lance Barton, a comedian
who is killed before his time on Earth is through. He is given another chance to continue his life, but in the body of an elderly rich white man, which allows Lance to capitalize on social commentary, a common theme in Rock's comedy act.
off stage one night he hears about an opportunity from his manager, Whitney Daniels (Frankie Faison
), at the Apollo Theater
, which is having a goodbye show due to its imminent closing. He is hoping to get a chance to prove himself in front of a real audience, when on his way home riding a bike Lance is distracted by Sontee Jenkins (Regina King
). Not paying attention, he is hit by a semi truck and is instantly killed. Because of this, Lance is brought up to Heaven
where he meets the angels, King (Chazz Palminteri
) and Keyes (Eugene Levy
) who reveal that Lance has died before his time, and can help Lance return to Earth.
Lance and King then start searching for a body. After sorting through many, they find Charles Wellington III, (Brian Rhodes III) an extremely rich businessman freshly drowned in his tub by his wife (Jennifer Coolidge
) and assistant, Winston Sklar (Greg Germann
). Lance wants nothing to do with the body until he discovers that Sontee, the girl he saw when he was Lance, is protesting Charles by handcuffing herself to a coffee table in his penthouse, demanding Charles' presence. Lance sees this as a chance to get to know her, but he is reluctant to permanently be Charles. Accordingly, he makes a deal with King to loan Charles' body until a more suitable body is found. Soon after, Charles returns from death, but with the witty soul of Lance Barton inside him. Only he and the angels can see him as Lance. Everybody else sees him as the middle-aged, rich, Caucasian
Charles.
Very unpopular in the past, the public and those closest to Charles start to notice a change in his personality. He transforms from a snobbish billionaire into a homely philanthropist
. Despite recent events he continues to follow his comedy dreams through Charles, contacting his old manager Whitney and convincing him that he is Lance reincarnated. Through many humorous moments and issues, he gets Sontee to fall in love with him.
All too soon, Charles' wife and Sklar's plans to murder him succeed as he is shot and killed by a hired assassin. Fulfilling the deal Lance and King set up earlier, King and Keys then send Lance to return yet again to Earth as Joe Guy, a great comedian and more acceptable candidate who will die in a car accident. Joe returns from this accident unscathed, now with Lance's soul. After pulling off a successful performance at the Apollo and reconnecting with Whitney, King and Keyes re-emerge. They inform him that after their current conversation, he will not remember them, Lance, Charles or Sontee. As said, after the angels leave he no longer remembers the previous events or his previous lives. Even though he has lost his memory of Lance, he still has the characteristics of him. In result, he reconnects with Whitney again and proceeds in getting Sontee to fall in love with him all over again, after meeting her in the theater for the first time as Joe Guy.
.
. It peaked at 71 on the Billboard 200
and 64 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Chris
Chris Weitz
Christopher John "Chris" Weitz is an American producer, writer, director and actor. He is best known for his work with his brother, Paul Weitz, on the comedy films American Pie and About a Boy, as well as directing the film adaptation of the novel The Golden Compass and the film adaptation of New...
and Paul Weitz
Paul Weitz (filmmaker)
Paul John Weitz is an American film producer, screenwriter, actor, and film director.-Personal life:Weitz was born in New York City, New York, the son of the actress Susan Kohner and novelist/fashion designer John Weitz, and the grandson of producer Paul Kohner and Mexican actress Lupita...
. It is the third film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
based on Harry Segall
Harry Segall
Harry Segall was an American playwright, screenwriter and television writer.Segall was born in Chicago....
's stageplay Heaven Can Wait, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a comedy film in which a boxer, mistakenly taken to Heaven before his time, is given a second chance back on Earth. It stars Robert Montgomery, Claude Rains and Evelyn Keyes. The movie was adapted by Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller from the play Heaven Can Wait by Harry...
(1941) and Heaven Can Wait
Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)
Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. It is the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's stageplay of the same name, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and followed by Down to Earth...
(1978). The film stars Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
as Lance Barton, a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
who is killed before his time on Earth is through. He is given another chance to continue his life, but in the body of an elderly rich white man, which allows Lance to capitalize on social commentary, a common theme in Rock's comedy act.
Plot
Lance Barton (Chris Rock) is a struggling comedian who is quite funny and confident in his personality, but is unable to bring his talent across in front of an audience. After being booedBooing
Booing is an act of showing displeasure for someone or something, generally an entertainer, by loudly yelling boo! or making other noises of disparagement, such as hissing. People may make hand signs at the entertainer, such as the thumbs down sign...
off stage one night he hears about an opportunity from his manager, Whitney Daniels (Frankie Faison
Frankie Faison
Frankie Russel Faison , often credited as Frankie R. Faison, is an American actor.-Personal life:Faison was born in Newport News, Virginia, the son of Carmena and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he joined Theta Chi Fraternity...
), at the Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
, which is having a goodbye show due to its imminent closing. He is hoping to get a chance to prove himself in front of a real audience, when on his way home riding a bike Lance is distracted by Sontee Jenkins (Regina King
Regina King
Regina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
). Not paying attention, he is hit by a semi truck and is instantly killed. Because of this, Lance is brought up to Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
where he meets the angels, King (Chazz Palminteri
Chazz Palminteri
Calogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri is an American actor and writer, best known for his performances in The Usual Suspects, A Bronx Tale, and his Academy Award nominated role for Best Supporting Actor in Bullets Over Broadway....
) and Keyes (Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
) who reveal that Lance has died before his time, and can help Lance return to Earth.
Lance and King then start searching for a body. After sorting through many, they find Charles Wellington III, (Brian Rhodes III) an extremely rich businessman freshly drowned in his tub by his wife (Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Coolidge is an American actress best known for playing "Stifler's mom," the older woman in the film American Pie ; Hilary Duff's stepmother in A Cinderella Story ; Paulette, the manicurist in Legally Blonde and its sequel; the voice of Aunt Fanny in the animated feature Robots ; for her...
) and assistant, Winston Sklar (Greg Germann
Greg Germann
Gregory Andrew "Greg" Germann is an American actor. He played the roles of Richard Fish in the television series Ally McBeal, businessman Mattson from Child's Play 2 and the vet Laurence from Quarantine...
). Lance wants nothing to do with the body until he discovers that Sontee, the girl he saw when he was Lance, is protesting Charles by handcuffing herself to a coffee table in his penthouse, demanding Charles' presence. Lance sees this as a chance to get to know her, but he is reluctant to permanently be Charles. Accordingly, he makes a deal with King to loan Charles' body until a more suitable body is found. Soon after, Charles returns from death, but with the witty soul of Lance Barton inside him. Only he and the angels can see him as Lance. Everybody else sees him as the middle-aged, rich, Caucasian
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
Charles.
Very unpopular in the past, the public and those closest to Charles start to notice a change in his personality. He transforms from a snobbish billionaire into a homely philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. Despite recent events he continues to follow his comedy dreams through Charles, contacting his old manager Whitney and convincing him that he is Lance reincarnated. Through many humorous moments and issues, he gets Sontee to fall in love with him.
All too soon, Charles' wife and Sklar's plans to murder him succeed as he is shot and killed by a hired assassin. Fulfilling the deal Lance and King set up earlier, King and Keys then send Lance to return yet again to Earth as Joe Guy, a great comedian and more acceptable candidate who will die in a car accident. Joe returns from this accident unscathed, now with Lance's soul. After pulling off a successful performance at the Apollo and reconnecting with Whitney, King and Keyes re-emerge. They inform him that after their current conversation, he will not remember them, Lance, Charles or Sontee. As said, after the angels leave he no longer remembers the previous events or his previous lives. Even though he has lost his memory of Lance, he still has the characteristics of him. In result, he reconnects with Whitney again and proceeds in getting Sontee to fall in love with him all over again, after meeting her in the theater for the first time as Joe Guy.
Cast
- Chris RockChris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
as Lance Barton - Regina KingRegina KingRegina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
as Sontee Jenkins - Chazz PalminteriChazz PalminteriCalogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri is an American actor and writer, best known for his performances in The Usual Suspects, A Bronx Tale, and his Academy Award nominated role for Best Supporting Actor in Bullets Over Broadway....
as King - Eugene LevyEugene LevyEugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
as Keyes - Frankie FaisonFrankie FaisonFrankie Russel Faison , often credited as Frankie R. Faison, is an American actor.-Personal life:Faison was born in Newport News, Virginia, the son of Carmena and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he joined Theta Chi Fraternity...
as Whitney Daniels - Mark AddyMark AddyMark Addy Johnson is an English actor, best known for his roles as Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the UK sitcom The Thin Blue Line, Dave in the British film The Full Monty, father Bill Miller in the U.S...
as Cisco - Greg GermannGreg GermannGregory Andrew "Greg" Germann is an American actor. He played the roles of Richard Fish in the television series Ally McBeal, businessman Mattson from Child's Play 2 and the vet Laurence from Quarantine...
as Sklar - Jennifer CoolidgeJennifer CoolidgeJennifer Coolidge is an American actress best known for playing "Stifler's mom," the older woman in the film American Pie ; Hilary Duff's stepmother in A Cinderella Story ; Paulette, the manicurist in Legally Blonde and its sequel; the voice of Aunt Fanny in the animated feature Robots ; for her...
as Mrs. Wellington - Wanda SykesWanda SykesWanda Sykes is an American writer, stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist. She earned the 1999 Emmy Award for her writing on The Chris Rock Show. In 2004 Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America...
as Wanda - John ChoJohn ChoJohn Yohan Cho is an American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the American Pie films and the Harold & Kumar films . He also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Better Luck Tomorrow...
as Phil Quon - Mario JoynerMario JoynerMario Joyner is an American stand-up comedian best known as the host of MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour from 1988–1992....
as Apollo M.C. - Bryetta Calloway as Gospel Singer
- Martha Chaves as Rosa
- Brian Rhodes III as Charles Wellington, III
- Herb Lovelle as Trashman
- Kedar Brown as Heckler
- Scott WickwareScott WickwareScott Wickware is an actor. He is mostly known for his performances in the TV Series Goosebumps, as the Haunted Mask. Over his career, he has acted in many television series and movies, most of them Canadian...
as Bouncer - Jack NewmanJack NewmanSir Jack Newman KBE was a New Zealand sportsman and business executive. As a cricketer, he earned three Test caps in 1932 and 1933 as a left-arm medium-pace bowler, being the first New Zealander to reach Test cricket direct from country cricket, in his case Nelson on South Island...
as Bob Krantz - William LynnWilliam LynnWilliam Lynn may refer to:* Billy Lynn , former English professional footballer* William Henry Lynn , Irish-born architect* William J. Lynn III , Deputy Secretary of Defense of the United States of America...
as Elderly Man - Leah MillerLeah MillerLeah Miller is a former MuchMusic VJ from Toronto, and current host for So You Think You Can Dance Canada. She is also a correspondent for the entertainment news show ETalk.-Early life:...
as Tina Lovette - David HubandDavid HubandDavid Huband , also known as Dave Huband, is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles on Cinderella Man as Ford Bond and in the films Cube Zero, Dirty Pictures and The Lookout.-Career:...
as Maitre'd - Arnold Pinnock as Joe Guy
- Roma Torre as Herself
- Harlin Kearsley as Mike Green
Box office
The film opened at #2 at the North American box office making $20,027,309 USD in its opening weekend, behind HannibalHannibal (film)
Hannibal is a 2001 psychological thriller film directed by Ridley Scott, adapted from the Thomas Harris novel of the same name. It is a sequel to the 1991 Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs that returns Anthony Hopkins to his iconic role as serial killer Hannibal Lecter...
.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on February 20, 2001 by Sony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. It peaked at 71 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and 64 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
.