Dave Chappelle's Block Party

By Daniel Fienberg, Zap2It.com | March 2, 2006

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Dave Chappelle and Michel Gondry join forces for one of the most enjoyable concert films in years

In its own way -- a way that will be utterly ignored by most of the people who go to see it -- "Dave Chappelle's Block Party" is as funny and savvy about contemporary issues of race and class as anything that Chappelle ever did on his beloved Comedy Central show.

Viewers accepting the invite to this "Block Party" expecting a full-on Chappelle routine, though, may be disappointed. Those grains of impromptu satire are really just the extra spice in Michel Gondry's documentary, one of the most spirited concert films in recent years.

In the fall of 2004, Chappelle decided to throw a party, filling one Brooklyn neighborhood with a full slate of some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B, a line-up that included Kanye West, The Roots, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu and, best of all, the first Fugees reunion in years (back before the group was constantly getting back together). Thousands of people crowded the streets, paying no heed to the pouring rain.

Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") and his crew had access to the rehearsals and the preparations. Most importantly, they had constant access to Chappelle, as the eccentric comic went back to his Ohio hometown to play Willy Wonka to hundreds of random residents lucky enough to snag tickets (plus a bus ride and hotel accommodations) for the show.

Although there are scenes of Chappelle playing master-of-ceremonies at the block party, doing standard set-ups and punchlines, he's funniest wandering through rural Ohio trying to convince old white folks to come to his show. Noting the traditional ties between music and comedy, he observes, "I'm mediocre at both, but I've managed to talk myself into a fortune." His Pied Piper act climaxes with the recruitment of the entire Central State University marching band, a spirited gang of musicians who accompany West in a stand-out rendition of "Jesus Walks."

Looking over the audience, Chappelle's professed dream of a fully integrated crowd wasn't entirely achieved, but for those who missed the concert, Gondry's cameras perform a valuable service. Gondry adds very little polish, welcoming microphone feedback and muddled audio and shoddy lighting in the name of authenticity.

From "Woodstock" to "Wattstax," the best parts of any music documentary are the unplanned moments, the glimpses behind the polish and the performance. That's why as great as West and the Fugees are, the real standout parts include Erykah Badu soldiering through after a brisk wind blows her weave off and Chappelle failing dismally in a rap battle with an audience member.

As Chappelle observes several times, he's achieved a level of popularity that largely transcends race and class and "Block Party" will probably do the same, though there are politicized aspects to the event. From the confrontational rapping of Dead Prez to a fierce statement by Fred Hampton Jr., there are just enough provocative notes hit for "Block Party" to stand out as more than just a frivolous good time (though it can be enjoyed in that way as well).