Dave Chappelle's Block Party DVD Review

"Dave Chappelle's Block Party" reviews

DVD

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-09-29 15:00:53

Provider

MRIB

DVD Review

The comedian Dave Chappelle is barely known in the UK, but in the US his TV show was one of the biggest in the country. Although Block Party is a concert movie documenting an outdoor hip hop festival Chappelle staged in New York, the chief reason for watching is to see the man himself in action.

Whether joshing with the stars, battling a member of the audience who gets up on stage to rap or riffing with inhabitants of the small Ohio town he invites along for the day, Chappelle is unmissable.

But that's not the only reason Chappelle dominates the screen. Though the principal purpose is to recreate the block parties of hip hop folklore, the clips of music are all reduced to about a minute at best, infuriating when you've got artists of the quality of Common, The Roots, Kanye West and a reunion of The Fugees (the street party took place in 2004, before their recent tour). Still, when a marching band come up the street, blazing along to Kanye's Jesus Walks or when Chappelle is up on stage performing it's impossible to tear your eyes from the screen.

A well constructed celebration of a special day from a special comic, directed by Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind). DVD extras include: extended music acts; Ohio Players - the bus ride and a Making Of documentary.

Copyright © MRIB 2006.