Dave Chappelle's Block Party: Movie Review

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Current Films)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

Dave Chappelle has invited you to his Block Party – and my advice is that you take him up on his invitation. I viewed this film last weekend and enjoyed it all the way. No, I was not one of the people that received a golden ticket from Dave (as did some fortunate souls from Chappelle’s Ohio stomping ground) inviting me to hop on the bus and travel to Brooklyn to check out the party – I had to travel down to the local theater to check it out.

In the film Dave is heard telling some Central State (Ohio) University Marching Band members (that Chappelle recruited to travel to New York and perform at the Block Party) that this is a “low budget movie� – but in viewing the film you would never know it. Chappelle enlisted the services of Director Michael Gondry (Director of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and also known for his excellent videos for such artists as The White Stripes & The Beastie Boys) and Cinematographer Ellen Kuras (The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Neil Young: Heart of Gold, The Ballad of Jack and Rose), who meld their talents with Dave’s fast paced comedic genius and a powerfully talented group of hip-hop and R&B artists that perform on the streets of Brooklyn, New York.

The movie works on many levels (see below), but the very best part of the film was the music – the performances by the musicians themselves are nothing short of incredible.

The reunion of the Fugees alone was worth the price of admission – you have to check out their performance to fully understand what I mean. (This part of the show almost did not happen –as Dave Chappelle explains that Columbia Records executives could not seem to find a way to let former Fugees member Lauryn Hill perform – due to contractual constraints – but Lauryn Hill realized that she could perform as a Fugee- and joining former Fugee members Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel, was able to go on with the show).

Block Party attendees (and movie goers) are also treated to performances by Rap & Hip Hop artists Kanye West, The Roots, Mos Def, Common, Dead Prez, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Talif Bweli - check out the Block Party Soundtrack Album-to be released on March 14th.

Before the actual concert Dave is shown driving around the streets of Ohio and New York City calling out to passers by inviting whoever will listen to come over and enjoy the show (reminded me of the bible verse where a rich man had invited guests to a his banquet, but when they did not show up he instructed his servants to go out into the highways and byways and invite all to come and eat - see Luke14:23 )

The cast of characters that attend the concert show are a show in and of themselves: check out the woman clerk from the local convenience store that Dave shops at in Ohio, who admits that she needs to learn what rap music is all about, and somewhat reluctantly joins the bus trip to New York to attend the party and find out.

The well-into-middle-age hippie couple, whose house borders the Block Party location, relate a story to Chappelle that was, for me, very profound: they tell of walking the streets of New York and discovering a broken angel sitting in the gutter – and rather than just passing up what appears to be a piece a junk – the woman takes the angel (viewed by her as some sort of omen that her and her friend are to get married - how she got this message is not clear) and together her and her friend glue the figurine back together (later on they find out that the angel was not really a rare collectors item, but rather a mass-produced figurine – and yet they regard this angel as special – as when they glued it together it became a bit different than all of the others – they describe it as, “….more fluidic, with more character that all of the other mass-produced ones….�

The house that they share, depicted in the movie, is named “Broken Angel� in honor of the angel figurine that they found in the gutter. When they first viewed the house it was in great disrepair – having become a haven for crack addicts. Like the angel figurine, they realized that the house was a diamond in the rough, and are in the process of restoring it to use as an art studio – where they will create new things (works of art?).
As I listened to their story I could not help relate their tale to the way that God reaches into the gutters and pulls people (the broken angels) out, puts them back together – and then showcases them for all to see His restorative work.

Chappelle’s inclusion of this couple in the movie becomes even more interesting when the wife admits that she “…does not like rap music because of the language that is so often associated with the music…�, and yet Chappelle accepts this couple for who they are – even if they don’t embrace or enjoy the type of music that Chappelle is having at the party.

The people that Dave invites to his party each add something of themselves that help make the movie memorable. The movie does not try to make people fit into its mold, but accepts people for who and what they are. Although some people will be offended by the language that is part of this movie, prominently heard in some of the rap songs and the background dialogue, the movie provides an honest view into culture – even if the culture is a bit different than what some viewers may be comfortable with.


Throughout the movie viewers are treated to a hefty dose of Chappelle’s spur-of-the-moment fluidic comedy and his love for common people – which he admits that he was – before he somehow “talked himself into an enormous amount of money� (Dave Chappelle impresses me as a man who has made it big in terms of career & financial success, but who has not forgot from whence he came from – an admirable character quality in this day and age).

The fact that Dave Chappelle has brought together such a powerful cadre of talented musicians – and pulled off a very successful Block Party illustrates Chappelle’s ability to uses his rather large bankroll to make some fun things happen, and invite others (including the viewers of this film) to come along for the ride and enjoy the party.

Beyond this, the music performances captured in this film, coupled with the brilliant rapid fire brain comedic skills of Dave Chappelle, serve to further underscore the fact that Hip-Hop and Rap music is no longer merely “on-the-fringe� of music and culture, but has become mainstream in all aspects – and that Dave Chappelle has been rightly crowned as one of the most talented comedians of our day.

— Overview