Actually, I could say this for just about every act that takes the stage for this tremendously entertaining combination of music and comedy. Chappelle, after signing his mega deal with Comedy Central (and shortly before he bugged out to South Africa), got it in his head to put on a concert in the streets of Brooklyn. The film, directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), intercuts segments of Chappelle promoting and planning the concert with footage of the actual show.
Those looking for the next installment of Chappelle's Show-type comedy might be a little disappointed because most of the humor in this film is spontaneous, unlike the sketch format of the now stalled Comedy Central program. There are plenty of segments with Chappelle good-naturedly goofing backstage and onstage, or joking around with residents of his Ohio hometown. Those looking for him to bust out his Rick James impersonation will have to revisit the DVDs (although he does do a little Samuel L. Jackson).
Amusing bits include Chappelle visiting with the creepy owners of the home the concert will be performed in front of, a home that Chappelle believes could double as a crack house in a movie. It's kind of sweet the way Chappelle asks the CSU marching band to make the trek from Ohio to Manhattan for the gig. When one band member asks if there will be compensation, Chappelle replies that there will be a sandwich on the bus.
As for the music, the man has impeccable taste. He pulls off the feat of getting the Fugees to reunite (Lauryn Hill's record label wouldn't allow her to perform solo stuff, so she got together with Wyclef Jean instead), and his hiring of the marching band from Ohio provides Kanye West with significant backing. Their booming brass and drums put a smile on West's face a mile wide, something that surely helps him as his performance soars into the atmosphere well above the city and makes the birds and planes happy.
Truly unbelievable is the grandest of divas, Jill Scott, as she shows the folks populating the city block exactly how to belt out a song. Her vocals are intoxicating enough, but then Badu joins the party and that's where things become impossibly good. Hill does a nice job delivering "Killing Me Softly," but the "Queen of Show" award must go to Scott. I'm buying some albums next week.
Other musicians include Mos Def (also the star of this week's 16 Blocks, possibly making him history's only actor to star in two movies with the word "block" in the title within the same week), who delivers an electrifying set and provides some drum rolls for the occasional dirty Chappelle joke. Dead Prez, Cody ChesnuTT and Big Daddy Kane also contribute.
It's cool to watch Chappelle's dream concert come to life, and a total treat listening to it. Gondry has put together one of the great concert films with this movie, right up there with Woodstock and Stop Making Sense. Chappelle recently announced that he probably won't be doing Chappelle's Show anymore due to creative disputes. That's a huge loss, but if he were to stage a block party every year and put it to film, that would be our gain.
