On this particular day however, the main attraction was the cast of the ensemble comedy Death at a Funeral. Set to open in theaters nationwide on April 16, the studio (Screen Gems) decided to hold court at the palatial hotel to allow members of the media an opportunity to more closely scrutinize the film. And as expected, rolling out was right in the center of the action.
Since the beginning of the weekend, there was a bit of guarded optimism about the potential of this film. Consider the cast: there’s Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Danny Glover, Luke Wilson, Columbus Short … the list goes on and on. Now, one would initially think that with a cast this strong, the movie would be an automatic win. Well, that’s what I thought — especially when you factor in the trio of talented headlining comedians (Lawrence, Rock and Morgan). With the three of them on the marquee, the film should naturally depart from the realm of regular funny, and enter into a sacred place where the comedy is so good that you have to guard against wetting yourself from laughing so hard. That line of thinking would probably match the logic of the average moviegoer.
But that wasn’t the mood with this group of journalists. As trained cynics, they were all expecting the film to fail to live up to its immense potential. After all, with this many stars it would be next to impossible to create a vehicle where they could all shine … right?
Not so fast.
Death at a Funeral turned out to be one of the funniest movies that I’ve seen in a while. So when that sentiment was shared with Rock, you would think that he’d be excited. Not exactly. In his world, he’s grown accustomed to the laughs. As the film’s producer, Rock is more concerned about how those laughs translate into box-office gold.From the outset of our conversation, one could sense that Rock had officially set his sights on leaving a lasting legacy in the entertainment industry. His ability to do so will hinge solely on the general public’s willingness to forsake the bootleg movie man and actually spend money on Rock’s end product. He expressed as much, while also covering a host of other topics during his time with rolling out.
So how are you feeling about the film? Everyone seems to be pleasantly surprised by how funny it is.
You know, I think the movie is good, but I never really know with these things. I can think, ‘I did a good job,’ but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a hit. People typically laugh at all of the movies that I do, but that doesn’t always translate into dollars. For example, I Think I Love My Wife, killed in the screenings, but it didn’t do so well in the theaters … you just never know.
So do you have a number in mind that you’d like to do? How much money would you like to see this movie make?
Honestly, I just want to make enough money so that someone will want to make another movie with me.
But what does that really mean? Do you have to just make enough money to cover the production budget, or do you have to double the investment?
You really want to quadruple it. It’s like any business. Look at a can of Coke. You are probably paying $1.00 for a can that cost them $0.12 cents to make. It’s the same way with movies. You want to have that same type of return on your investment.
I was speaking with Martin Lawrence about the film, and he was talking about how much he respected you. He said that he was impressed that you kept your word about the two of you doing a film together.
That means a lot that he said that. I never want to be a guy that says something, but isn’t able to make it happen. There are so many guys in Hollywood that talk a lot, but never make anything happen. That’s not me. When I call someone and tell them that I want to work together, I want them to know that it’s going to happen.
How are you able to be different from the talkers in Hollywood that promise the world, but never deliver?
Well I think that I might be stubborn. It’s very rare that I have an idea, so when I do, I tend to stick to it until it happens. I’ve always been that way. Look at Good Hair. I wanted to do that movie for over a decade, and I never let it go. It was the same way with this film. When I latch on to an idea, I have to make it happen.
As your body of work expands, how often do you think about the legacy that you’re going to leave?
I actually think about it a lot. It’s interesting — I went to a Jay-Z concert recently, and I was blown away by how many hits he had. Afterwards I told him that there were at least 20 songs that he didn’t do. That’s incredible … but that’s also how I want my career to be. When people start talking about my accomplishments, I don’t want them to keep naming the same two things. I want to have a body of work that rivals Jay-Z’s catalog.
So in that body of work, do you see any more documentaries on the horizon?
I do. In fact, the next one will be called Credit is the Devil. And that’s something that I really believe. Credit really is the devil … it is the living devil that is walking among us. It makes you do s— that you normally wouldn’t do, and it puts you in a position to do s— that you shouldn’t do. Credit is this thing that you have to work for. It’s this thing that has destroyed the lives of many people and I really want to investigate it. There’s a reason why 75 percent of all athletes are bankrupt by the second year of retirement. The same goes with entertainers. It’s credit.”
I agree.
** As the interview with Rock concluded, he let out an audible sigh. “Are you nervous about the film’s opening,” this journalist inquired. “No, not at all,” he responded. “I’m just wondering what I’m about to eat. That other stuff doesn’t bother me … but lunch, now that’s a different conversation.”
Log on to rollingout.com to see exclusive footage from rolling out’s interview with Chris Rock.
