Chris Rock Returns to Directing with "Misty Green" at TIFF, and the Oscar Buzz Is Already Loud

Chris Rock just reminded everyone he’s not just a comedy legend.“Misty Green,”his first feature as writer-director since 2014’s“Top Five,”had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the early reaction is very strong. The A24 film stars Rosalind Eleazar as a former Emmy-winning actress fighting for a career second act, with a supporting cast that includes Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace, and Anthony Anderson. If that lineup doesn’t get you to the theater, nothing will.

The reviews are focusing hard on Eleazar, with the Associated Press calling her work one of the best performances of the year. That’s the kind of sentence that puts a movie on the awards map before it even hits wide release. Rock, meanwhile, seems completely at ease with the pressure. He told reporters he likes directing“a lot,”and when asked about expectations, he compared it to walking into a restaurant and assuming the food will be bad. Confident, calm, and clearly ready for more.

So the real question now is whether“Misty Green”becomes Rock’s biggest awards-season moment yet, and whether Hollywood gives him more chances behind the camera. Based on this premiere, both feel pretty likely. Are you planning to see“Misty Green”in theaters, or are you waiting for the reviews to pile up first? Let us know.