DOWN TO EARTH —** — Chris Rock, Regina King, Chazz Palminteri, Frankie Faison, Greg Germann, Mark Addy, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, Wanda Sykes; rated PG-13 (profanity, violence, vulgarity, brief sex, racial epithets); Carmike 12, Cottonwood Mall and Ritz 15 Theaters; Century Theatres 16; Cinemark Jordan Landing Theaters; Gateway 8 Cinemas; Loews Cineplex Broadway Centre and Midvalley Cinemas; Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons.

Chris Rock is a pretty funny guy. And "Heaven Can Wait" is a pretty funny little movie. So can someone explain why, in combining the two, "Down to Earth" isn't nearly as funny as either one.

Oh, it's got a few mildly amusing scenes. But most of them will make you smile more than laugh. And there's not even enough of them to make the film anything but a letdown.

What makes the film all the more disappointing is that, on paper at least, the amount of thinking behind the project suggested much better things. (Come on, who wouldn't want to see Rock tone down his usual R-rated act to try his hand at light comedy?)

Again, that's not to say the movie is a complete dud. In fact, there are fleeting moments that suggest what the film probably should have been — a concert film for Rock, who is reined in by a script that allows him only scant bits of improvisation.

Rock stars as Lance Barton, a bicycle messenger by day and struggling stand-up comedian by night. He is coming off his latest unsuccessful gig — after being roundly booed offstage by an audience at the Apollo Theater — when something even more disastrous happens. While staring at a passerby, he's hit by a semi and suddenly finds himself in heaven.

Rather than seeking his eternal reward behind the Pearly Gates, though, he's told by Heavenly Host Mr. Keyes (Chazz Palminteri) that it was a mistake; his panicky assistant (Eugene Levy) snatched him up before his "time."

Needless to say, Lance isn't pleased, but he strikes a bargain to return to Earth in the best body available. The trouble is, it's the body of Charles Wellington, a white millionaire who's just been murdered by his wife (Jennifer Coolidge) and his personal secretary (Greg Germann, from TV's "Ally McBeal").

In the form of Wellington, Lance tries to repair some of the damage done by the mogul. He also finds himself attracted to Shontee Jenkins (Regina King), a patients-rights advocate who wants nothing to do with him.

Despite the obvious superficial differences between this film and its beloved source material, the plotting is very similar, which isn't necessarily a good thing. (Fans of "Heaven Can Wait" will know where this is going almost immediately.)

But it's not the predictability of the story that hurts as much as the fact that Rock is undercut by inept direction (courtesy Adam and Chris Weitz, of "American Pie" fame). The Weitzes are unable to stage anything that really works comedically (except maybe the comedy-concert performance scenes, and they're far too short).

The one person you can't fault is Rock, who really tries to elevate the material. And he has a surprising amount of chemistry with King, as well as his other co-stars, though it is all for naught.

"Down to Earth" is rated PG-13 for scattered profanity (not nearly as much as you'd expect from Rock), violence (some slapstick and some gunfire), use of crude gestures and some off-color humor, brief sexual fumblings and use of racial epithets. Running time: 88 minutes.

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E-mail: jeff@desnews.com