Dvd
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
The party in question is a free concert held on a street in Brooklyn, New York. Organised by the very kind Chappelle, he enlists performances from the hugely talented Mos Def, Kanye West, Dead Prez (a stand-out), Jill Scott (also a stand-out), The Roots and The Fugees (who re-united for this).
Intercut with the concert are scenes of Chappelle handing out golden tickets in his hometown of Ohio; musings from the comedian and his musician buddies; meeting the locals; and a particularly cute, impromptu invitation to a high-school marching band (to perform at the concert).
Starring Dave Chappelle, Mos Def, Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Cody Chestnutt, Common, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Big Daddy Kane, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, James 'Kamal' Gray, Cody Chestnutt, Jill Scott
Directed by Michel Gondry ('Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind')
Written by Dave Chappelle
Documentary, Musical, Comedy | 1hr 40mins | Rated (M) | contains offensive language, sexual references & drug use | Origin: USA | Official Site »
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The Talk
12 votes / No comments
Flicks review
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5
While not providing the laughs of 'The Dave Chappelle Show' (hasn't screened here, but I seen the DVD - it's good), the free wheelin', reflective 'Block Party' bursts with positivity and goodwill. Watching it, with a packed crowd that also embraced the film, was one of the best movie experiences I've had.
Michel Gondry's hand is felt only lightly as he wisely lets Chappelle steal the show. Watching Chappelle is like watching your funny friend. He's smart-assed and loud, but does it without e and, charmingly, always looks a little nervous on camera.
The party is a free concert, held on a street in Brooklyn New York. Organised by Chappelle, he enlists performances from the hugely talented Mos Def, Kanye West, Dead Prez (a stand-out), Jill Scott (also a stand-out), The Roots and The Fugees (who re-united for this).
The performances are low-fi and personal, the performers in tune with their crowd and totally engaging. I couldn't look away. The music captures perfectly the mood of the film's characters.
Intercut with the concert are scenes of Chappelle handing out 'Golden tickets' in his hometown in Ohio; musings from the comedian and his musician buddies; meeting the locals and letting them know what's ing on; and a particularly cute, impromptu invitation to a high-school marching band (to perform at the concert).
With anti-American feeling ripe at present, the film feels like an insight into another face of the States. These massively rich entertainers are surprisingly down to earth and appear to think, as much as many outsiders do, that their country is fucked up.
And with a simple suggestion from Chappelle, they flock together for a free concert in the afternoon, in Brooklyn, in the rain. A very strong sentiment of generosity and optimism permeates by the film's end.
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The people's reviews
4 reviews
Press Reviews
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Hollywood Reporter
The word "community" has become a cliche, but this party illustrates a specific sense of cultural community and the singular bliss of standing on a street in summer rain for a once-in-a-lifetime...
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New York Daily News
4
Once in a great while there's a movie that's so funny, infectious and welcoming - a movie that makes you feel so od about America and the people in it - you just want to climb inside the screen and live there. That's the case with "Dave Chappelle's Block Party" - part comedy, part concert film, part avant-garde experiment, and all of it a joy...
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New York Times
Mr. Chappelle looks and sounds alternately ebullient and weary. It was directed by madcap genius Michel ndry, but in its tone and vibe feels like Mr. Chappelle's all the way...
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Sunday Star-Times
4
There's ample coverage to send audiences into a cheering, head-bobbing, finger-wagging frenzy, and Gondry's loose editing and camerawork complement the improvisational feel of Chappelle's comic banter...
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The Lumiere Reader [NZ]
Chappelle's comedy comes from dissection of race, but as an actual comic he is naturally funny: laidback but paradoxically almost always 'on', he enjoys himself the entire way through...
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Variety [USA]
A heady spirit of spontaneity permeates the proceedings, suggesting the entire pic, much like the concert it documents, was conceived, planned and completed in a burst of creative enthusiasm...
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