To those, including this reviewer, still looking for clues as to why Dave Chappelle left a $50 million deal for continued seasons of "Chappelle's Show" purportedly over frustration, his new concert film "Block Party" offers this startling theory: He's a regular guy who didn't need the money or the stress. In most of "Dave Chappelle's Block Party," a documentary about a September 2004 Bedfort-Stuyvesant concert that Chappelle put together to celebrate his landmark deal with Comedy Central, the comedian is no different than fans would expect: hilarious and lovable. Read the full review
Comedian Dave Chappelle takes the spotlight in a freestyle standup environment, along with performances by Kanye West, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Dead Prez, Jill Scott, and The Roots. The combination of comedy and music was shot on location in Brooklyn.
Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Dave Chappelle, Kanye West, Dante 'Mos Def' Smith, Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli
Run time: 100 minutes
Release date: March 3, 2006
Rating: R for language.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B+
"The overall sensation is of a gleeful, music-packed melting pot — though Chappelle, from the stage, quips that the concert audience comprises 5,000 black people, and 19 whites. "
Austin American-Statesman: 3 of 5 stars
"... unique mix of hilarity, self-deprecation and grace."
The Palm Beach Post: C
"Chappelle keeps saving the movie with his wry comic observations on race, but there needed to be more of him."
The Palm Beach Post "Flick Chick"
"It's funny, sad and just plain awesome."
