Dave Chappelle’s Block Party

Comic Dave Chappelle threw a heck of a block party in Brooklyn on Sept. 18, 2004, said Leah Rozen in People. And now everyone who didn't get to attend can see what they missed. 'œA lot, it turns out.' Half the fun of the film is watching Chappelle put together his dream concert. Performers include Kanye West, Mos Def, Jill Scott, and the Fugees. Chappelle goes home to rural Ohio to recruit attendees—including a college marching band and a couple of old ladies—before heading back to Brooklyn to invite passersby via megaphone. For the audience, however, 'œthe major lure is Chappelle himself,' said Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times. Not that there's anything wrong with the music, setting, or cinematography, all of which are first-rate. But Chappelle's beguiling personality effortlessly trumps them all. He can make a person 'œlaugh at anything, even mundane events like a man on the street trying to get a worn-out car engine to turn over.' Director Michel Gondry zigs back and forth in time, much as he did in his film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, said Steve Murray in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Concert footage is cut with informal interviews, riffs from studio rehearsals, and backstage moments. The overall feeling is that Block Party is a 'œcelebration of, well, celebration.'

Rating: R

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