Dave Chapelle’s Block Party
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Starring: Dave Chapelle, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Fred Hampton Jr, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Dead Prez, Jill Scott, Kanye West
Rated: R for language.
Parental Notes: There’s plenty of foul language and both racial and sexual humor, but visually the film is fairly innocuous. Parents who don’t mind their kids watching “Chapelle’s Show” or listening to rap music probably won’t mind their kids seeing this film.
In 2004, Dave Chapelle (“Chapelle’s Show”) threw a huge block paraty in Brooklyn. He handed out golden tickets good for a round-trip bus ride and a hotel to people from his hometown in Ohio and roamed New York with a megaphone to invite anyone who could hear him to come. For entertainment he set up the concert he’d always wanted to see, both rap artists like Dead Prez and soul artists like Erykah Badu. Legendary group the Fugees took the opportunity to stage their reunion and appear together as a group for the first time in over seven years. Chapelle wisely got director Michel Gondry, whose semi-surreal mindbender “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”came out that year, to document the event on film.
Chapelle has plenty of charisma, and he uses it all here to convince unlikely people to come to the party, including an old lady he meets on the street and a college marching band. His energy convinces even those who aren’t sure they’ll like the music to come. He seems utterly tireless, whether he’s promoting the band, finding the resources the event needs, or performing on stage as the host of the concert. It’s a pleasure to watch him at work, having a great time sharing his excitement and humor with such a huge crowd.
The film is well-edited; rather than telling the story chronologically, Gondry interweaves scenes from all stages so that musical interludes, interviews with attendees, Chapelle’s stand-up routines, behind-the-scenes footage from the concert, and Chapelle’s preparations are all mixed together. There isn’t enough of a story for us to get confused, and it’s fun to see this mix of character portraits and music.
Another benefit of this interweaving of elements is that if the viewer doesn’t care much for one aspect of the film, there isn’t a long enough stretch of it to make the film unbearable. If, say, you don’t care much for rap music, but do like Chapelle’s comedy, the film will probably still work because the rap is in small doses. Of course, if you actively despise any aspect of the film you may well have trouble enjoying the rest of it because the balance is so even.
There isn’t much soul-searching here. This isn’t the sort of documentary that wrenches your heartstrings or challenges your preconceived notions. It’s basically just a concert film, with a bit more behind-the-scenes footage that you might expect. Chapelle’s reasons for throwing the party are never explored, although it seems obvious that at the time his show was incredibly popular and he had just been signed to a huge deal to keep it on the air. Shortly after, he apparently had a breakdown of some sort and his show is now on indefinite hiatus, but there is nothing to hint at that in the film. Gondry wasn’t going for irony when he filmed it, he was just showing Chapelle doing what he does best: entertaining people and having a great time doing it.
Those who are jonesing for a hit of Chapelle comedy may find this not quite satisfying — it’s a concert film, but Chapelle isn’t the headliner. Fans of his show will have to wait for it to come back from hiatus for that. But it just might be enough to tide them over a little longer. Those who aren’t fans of Chapelle but do enjoy the subculture he’s celebrating will probably enjoy the film.