Misty Green Review: Chris Rock's Uninspired Dramedy Fails A Superb Rosalind Eleazar [TIFF]

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Rosalind Eleazar leaning against a railing in Misty Green

Director Chris Rock oversees a new dramedy aimless in its storytelling, unremarkable in the issues it speaks to, and flat in its attempts at humor.

Published Sep 13, 2026, 2:28 PM EDT

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There’s a widely held misconception that recognizable faces in the entertainment industry live lives of opulence and luxury, but this is very often not the case. The plights, pragmatics, and harsh realities of being a working actor are examined in Misty Green, a new dramedy from director Chris Rock that lacks the cohesion and commentary necessary to pull off its myriad of scattered ideas and characters.

Making its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Misty Green stars Rosalind Eleazar as an established actor struggling to navigate the second act of her career while dealing with substance abuse issues, her mentally ill brother (Daniel Kaluuya), her shady ex (Adam Driver), and a cutthroat industry that repeatedly refuses to reward her talent.

Misty Green Adds Little To The L.A. Film Industry Genre

There’s nothing quite like a good L.A. movie. Something about the sunshine, the picturesque scenery, and the frenzy of the movie industry often coalesces into entertainment films like Trumbo, Babylon, and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood that offer a peek behind the curtain of what it’s like to try and make it big as a movie star.

Unfortunately, fun visuals for those familiar with the Los Angeles film scene aside, Misty Green falls desperately short of narratively and thematically similar movies. Rock’s film offers little, if anything, in the way of original ideas about the industry. Instead, it sprinkles in a slew of underdeveloped ideas, ranging from the murder of a college co-ed, a brother struggling with bipolar disorder, an ex with a side hustle in sex trafficking, and lots and lots of bathroom sex and drug use.

If there's any real novelty in Rock's film, it's discovered through Eleazar's performance...

Despite Rock’s decision to pace the film at a quick clip, it lumbers through its 90-minute runtime and feels far longer than it really is. As a result of abandoning a traditional narrative structure, Misty Green unfolds as a slice-of-life telling of a week in the life of its titular character, and, much like the talented actress, it meanders from one frustrating roadblock to the next.

Contrary to what one might expect from a film directed by a behemoth of comedy like Chris Rock, Misty Green is shockingly devoid of solid laughs. Anna Kendrick has a few witty quips and Rock himself is hit-and-miss with some of his signature style of jokes, but, otherwise, the film can hardly generate a chuckle, never mind the hearty laugh audiences have grown accustomed to experiencing with Rock’s projects.

Rosalind Eleazar Deserves A Far Better Movie

MISTY GREEN, Rosalind Eleazar, 2026. © A24

The multiple missteps of Misty Green disappointingly under-serve an excellent Rosalind Eleazar in the lead role. Known for her work as Louisa Guy in the Apple TV series Slow Horses, Eleazar single-handedly redeems an otherwise extraordinarily flawed film. She captures the desperation of an actress trying to keep her head above water while salvaging what she has left of a career. If there's any real novelty in Rock's film, it's discovered through Eleazar's performance, which fosters a sobering look at working actors and how their lives are often more grimy than glamorous.

In a standout supporting role, Daniel Kaluuya shines as Misty's troubled older brother. He floats in and out of the movie, but when he's on-screen, the film takes on a different, far more interesting energy. He is warm and loving, yet erratic, and coupled with Eleazar's performance, Kaluuya effectively depicts the volatility of major mental illness and the pressure this places on the family members forced to pick up the pieces.

A more focused screenplay may have centered around Kaluuya and Eleazar's sibling relationship; stripping away the ancillary diversions could have resulted in a far better version of Misty Green. Unfortunately, that's not the film Rock delivers. Instead, he oversees a movie aimless in its storytelling, unremarkable in the issues it speaks to, and flat in its attempts at humor.

Misty Green premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The film releases in US theaters on October 9.