a great concert film..wow!


About the movie
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
* * * (out of four)
Stars: Dave Chappelle, Kanye West, Mos Def, Erykah Badu
Director: Michel Gondry
Distributor: Rogue Pictures
Rating: R for language
Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Opens Friday nationwide


Just go crash 'Dave Chappelle's Block Party'
By Clauida Puig, USA TODAY
You will wish you'd been invited to Dave Chappelle's Block Party, but watching the documentary about the September 2004 concert event is the next best thing.

Dave Chappelle threw a block party in Brooklyn in September 2004, and cameras were there to record it.
Rogue Pictures

Besides being filled with Chappelle's hilarious sense of humor, the movie features life-affirming messages and great music by serious rap artists with political, socio-cultural and spiritual themes.

These artists, who include Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, The Fugees, Jill Scott, Common and The Roots, are all about freedom, not bling. A line from a song by the Dead Prez sums it up succinctly: "You rather have a Lexus or justice/A necklace or freedom?"

The documentary is a hybrid of comedy, music, political commentary and cultural empowerment. It also offers an engaging and entertaining behind-the-scenes look at organizing a massive street event in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant area. Chappelle drives around the streets of New York with a megaphone: "Attention, Huxtables," he yells in an upscale neighborhood. "We're throwing a block party.


Initially, Chappelle gives out free "golden" tickets and chartered bus rides to people from Dayton, Ohio, his hometown. "Even Willy Wonka didn't give out this many," he says. (psst..Hey prince)
Among those attending are an impressive and dedicated marching band from Ohio's Central State University, a pair of middle-aged probation officers and a 60ish store owner not too familiar with rap music but ready for a party.

Chappelle pronounces the concert the thing he is most proud of in his career, and it's clear that director Michel Gondry (who also made Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) has respect and admiration for his subjects. The film is not overtly political, but the message is clear: Much needs to be done for neglected urban areas. The focus, however, is upbeat, not preachy.

The film occasionally drags, but tries to mix it up with a "making of" video style. Musical interludes segue into Chappelle's casual interviews and quips.

Surveying the crowd, he says, "Five thousand black people chillin' and 19 white people peppered in the crowd. I'm trying to find a Mexican." Later, he learns some gestures and expressions from a pair of Latinos on the street.

"This is the concert I've always wanted to see," Chappelle says. Now we all can.

Featured Critic

Sheri Linden


Dave Chappelle and hip-hop greats throw a party to remember.



(What is this?)


"A house band provides a great blues/funk backbone for a mix of hip-hop, rap and soul. All are having so much fun, I'm not even a big fan of hip-hop but I had a great time too."

-- Ross Anthony, HOLLYWOOD REPORT CARD

"It’s impossible not to get caught up in this party’s good vibe."

-- Marjorie Baumgarten, AUSTIN CHRONICLE

"Unique in the manner in which it salutes African-American culture and unity while at the same time exhibiting an exalted openness that makes it clear everyone's invited to take part in the merriment."

-- Matt Brunson, CREATIVE LOAFING

"reminiscent of the rockumentaries from the 1970s and 1980s which showed artists taking themselves much too seriously"

-- Kevin Carr, 7M PICTURES

"[Dave] Chappelle and helmer [Michel] Gondry give a real neighborhood feel to "Block Party" and the result is everyone got together and had a great time."

-- Robin Clifford, REELING REVIEWS

"The mix of interviews, performances and shtick may make for a loosey-goosey movie, but its 'wish-you-had-been-there' quotient is off the chart."

-- Duane Dudek, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

"Block Party is a true gift."

-- David Frese, KANSAS CITY STAR

"Block Party puts Chappelle (who co-produced the movie) in the host position, and he’s very funny..."

-- Ernest Hardy, L.A. WEEKLY

"A good-timey vibe lasts from beginning to end of Party."

-- Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS

"Infectiously fun."

-- Frank Houston, PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS

"...an entertaining afternoon of ramshackle camaraderie."

-- Josh Larsen, SUN PUBLICATIONS (CHICAGO, IL)

"Gondry not only captures the energy of the show but also treats viewers to backstage footage that's as engaging as the final concert."

-- Dan Lybarger, NITRATE ONLINE

"Lets loose with wit and style."

-- Jeanne Aufmuth, PALO ALTO WEEKLY

"...a friendly and hugely entertaining mix of humour and music."

-- Liz Braun, JAM! MOVIES

"May prove to be the feel-good movie of the year...the only problem is that we can't enjoy the live performances in their entirety."

-- Peter Canavese, GROUCHO REVIEWS

"The film has the pleasantly unexpected result of showcasing [Chappelle] at his most humane and relatable."

-- Jeffrey Chen, REELTALK MOVIE REVIEWS

"More than just a concert film, Block Party is a great look into the mind of a comedian, captured at the height of his success."

-- Edward Douglas, COMINGSOON.NET

"Dave Chappelle's Block Party is easily the most fun I've had in a movie theater in months."

-- Phoebe Flowers, SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL

"one of the most thoughtful, exciting and funniest concert film ever made. "

-- Stefan Halley, HERO REALM

"A good time should be had by all."

-- Edward Havens, FILMJERK.COM

"Dave Chappelle's Block Party is 90-plus minutes of positivity, summed up by our host, who enthuses, 'This is the concert I've always wanted to see.'"

-- Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), CONTRA COSTA TIMES

"You don't have to be a fan of hip-hop or even of Dave Chappelle's comedy to get a huge kick out of this expansive, generous, get-up-and-dance film."

-- MaryAnn Johanson, FLICK FILOSOPHER

"'This is the best single day of my career,' Chappelle says at the film's end, sitting down for a quiet moment after the music and laughter have stopped. And you absolutely believe him."

-- Christy Lemire, ASSOCIATED PRESS

"a winningly entertaining labor of love that also happens to be A work by everyone involved"

-- Eric Meyerson, FILMCRITIC.COM






Hot Pick
"What you'll take away from Block Party is a newfound respect for Chappelle and rap music in general."

-- Joshua Tyler, CINEMABLEND.COM





Cream of the Crop
FRESH 96%


Avg. Rating: 7.7/10
"...an uplifting, funny and engaging star-studded affair."

-- Allison Benedikt, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

"His racial jokes have an edge, but they are not as deadly as the Chappelle's Show skits."

-- Lana Berkowitz, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

"Once in a great while there's a movie that's so funny, infectious and welcoming - a movie that makes you feel so good about America and the people in it - you just want to climb inside the screen and live there."

-- Jami Bernard, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

"Dave Chappelle's Block Party confirms that he's not just instinctually funny, he has impeccable musical taste."

-- Colin Covert, MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

"Dave Chappelle's exhilarating new film chronicles a free block party that was held in 2004 on a dead-end street in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn."

-- Manohla Dargis, NEW YORK TIMES

"Part concert film, part documentary and part comedy, Block Party plays like a sampler of contemporary rap."

-- Robert Denerstein, DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

"Dave Chappelle's Block Party is a fairly disorganized film about a fairly disorganized concert, redeemed by the good feeling Chappelle sheds like a sunbeam on every scene."

-- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

"Dave Chappelle's Block Party is perhaps the first concert movie since Stop Making Sense to give you a blissful buzz."

-- Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"Block Party is an uproarious good time, part documentary, part concert film, part who knows what?"

-- Bill Goodykoontz, ARIZONA REPUBLIC

"This picture remains faithful to the underlying affability of both Chappelle and Gondry, orchestrating a feel-good homestyle vibe that, while peppered with moments of sly political commentary, never harshes its own, slightly bittersweet mellow."

-- Ed Halter, VILLAGE VOICE


( More... )
[Edited 3/3/06 5:29am]
[Edited 3/3/06 5:31am]

Got good reviews on salon.com too (didn't see them on the list, might have read too fast)...

looks like good fun to me.

I gotta go see this!!!

This weekend it will happen and I'll come back and edit this post with a review.

Slave2daGroove said:

Is it only released for one day? Or is it going to stay in the movies for a while? Please forgive me i didn't read the whole post if the information was there in?

It's not just a concert film though!

CinisterCee said:

we know!!

92% at rottentomatoes is a rarity..i think even i am going to see this....its fresh (respected critics only) rating is now at 93.


meta critic has it at 84...

I wanna see this film. I remember readin about this concert so to see it on the big screen would be great. Plus it's Dave Chapelle so it's gonna be funny.

Rhondab said: