Somewhere around the hour mark of "Dave Chappelle's Block Party," Chappelle mentions a shared bond between comedians and musicians. He claims all comedians want to be musicians and all musicians think they are funny. He goes on to joke that he's mediocre at both, yet has managed to talk himself into a fortune.
If the film is any indication, and it most likely is, Chappelle has much more musical knowledge than he puts on. In an attempt to assemble "the concert he always wanted to see," he creates an incredible event that brings together people from all walks of life — from aging hipsters to college band geeks.
"Block Party" is, at its purest, a documentary on a concert the comedian held in Brooklyn back in 2004. Academy Award-winning director Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") follows Chappelle all the way from his Ohio hometown to Brooklyn as he conceives, makes preparations for and skillfully executes a block party of epic proportions.
But to call "Block Party" a documentary is almost disrespectful to the film itself — it's much more of an experience. Rather than beat viewers over their respective heads with messages like the majority of documentaries to achieve nation-wide release, Gondry simply shows everything for what it is, allowing viewers to take from the movie whatever they choose.
Chappelle is charming for the duration of the film, delivering laughs whenever he's on-screen. Anyone going into "Block Party" expecting to see him do Rick James or Lil' Jon should look elsewhere (except for one small part) — Chappelle is more low-key, but no less humorous. He has a more serious tone about him and, especially during certain scenes, shows a rarely seen maturity.
Chappelle meets a plethora of different people during his journey, bringing many of them along to Brooklyn to enjoy the concert together. With an audience that includes burned-out hippies, middle-aged gas station attendants, parole officers, high school students and senior citizens, it's one of the most unique crowds ever assembled. More impressive yet, Chappelle funded the entire project from his own pocket — including transportation and housing for everyone who traveled to Brooklyn with him.
The real meat of the movie comes during the concert itself, with a huge stable of talented musicians sharing the stage. Whether it's Dead Prez delivering an impassioned, incredible performance for the concertgoers, Kanye West collaborating with an Ohio marching band, Mos Def and Talib Kweli returning to their Blackstar roots or Common hopping on-stage with any number of different artists, the music always takes center stage. Chappelle himself selected every artist for good reason — they know how to put on a superb show.
Things get crazy when the Roots hit the stage, visibly playing their hearts out. But when Jill Scott and Erykah Badu double-team the chorus of "Baby You Got Me," the show is elevated to a completely different plateau. They trade off on vocal duties, treating viewers to a goose-bump-inducing duet that people typically only dream about.
Then the Fugees play. While the Fugees playing a concert is enjoyable on its own, it takes on a whole new level of cool considering that this was the group's first concert since its break-up in '97, even before they truly went public with their reunion. Chappelle presumably worked his charm, somehow bringing Pras, Wyclef Jean and Lauren Hill together for a sublime set. One of the high-points of the film (though there are quite a few) sees Hill softly singing the intro to "Killing Me Softly With His Song" to a near-speechless crowd. The effect is a chilling, euphoria-inspiring spin on an already great song. It's a wonderful surprise late in the film, a cherry topping off a delicious hip-hop sundae.
And while Gondry could've gotten away with simply filming the concert and playing it back for audiences, he goes a step further. He foregoes sequential order in favor of jumping from planning phases of the concert to footage of a major act performing, back to Chappelle running around Ohio, then back to artists reacting after the concert. It may sound disjointed, but it winds up putting the focus more on the current experience on-screen rather than following the concert from planning to completion. The focal point of the film is not Chappelle or even the musicians — it's the block party itself.
Simply put, there are few films that offer as much fun as "Block Party." From start to finish, viewers are treated to what will likely stand as one of the most enjoyable journeys to be found in theaters this year. If the concert itself isn't triumph enough, the amount of sheer joy that oozes from the film should be enough to garner some attention. "Block Party" certainly isn't what many might have expected from Chappelle, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Rating: 5 out of 5
