Dave Chappelle Rocks The Block

Dave Chappelle's Block Party (Odeon Films)
Release date: March 3, 2006
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Starring: Dave Chappelle, Kanye West, Dead Prez, Common, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Mos Def

Rating:

As Dave Chappelle struts through small-town Ohio, inviting all the curious townspeople to Brooklyn, NYC for a one-day musical event featuring Kanye West, Dead Prez, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Mos Def and The Fugees' reunion performance, among other artists, one invited mom wisecracks, "I knew I should have bought a thong."

"Old people fucking love me," Chappelle deadpans to the camera. It's these hilarious you-can't-make-this-stuff-up moments that pepper this documentary, and emphasize the idea that comedy and music are more closely linked than previously thought.

Chappelle's Shout Out

Held on September 18, 2004, and directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind), the block party was organized by the much-loved comedian inside the heart of Brooklyn with the intent of "keeping black music alive and bringing black music to the same audience." The result is a wildly entertaining and wretchedly funny event that easily combines Bah-Dah-Ching jokes about race and pimps with potent messages of freeing political prisoners. Kanye West takes the stage with support from a high school marching band. Erykah Badu sports an afro-wig then rips it off mid-song. Jill Scott's performance is smooth, deep and sensual. Closing with The Fugees' reunion performance, the mere sight of Wyclef, Lauren and Pras sets the crowd into a raucous frenzy.

The synergy of the musical performances and the laugh-out-loud Chappelle-interludes play off of each other well, but there is no real narrative that drives this movie along. In fact, I don't know why it's been released theatrically. This should be a special on MuchMusic, or even a DVD release, where it might find a larger audience.

Kanye's Block Rockin' Beats

Block Party riffs heavily off the 1973 documentary Wattstax, in which a similar one-day music festival was organized to promote African-Amercian musicians and voices, but that flick carried a strong undercurrent of social change through activism and music. The only true reflection of that sentiment in Block Party comes toward the end when Wyclef Jean privately performs an acoustic version of "President" for a small group of high school students then encourages them to spend time at libraries, get an education and to not "blame the white man for nothing, because I came to this country and learned English as a third language." The spirit and emotion of his speech sharpens the theme of the film to a fine point, but Block Party just doesn't justify the high price of movie admission.

Reviewed by Christine Estima

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