Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Part concert movie, part improvised comedy, this documentary takes two hackneyed genres and stirs them into something fresh. The film, ably directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), follows the comedian as he organizes a Brooklyn block party, to which he invites an unlikely bunch of locals from his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio. The musical performances — by Kanye West, Jill Scott and a reunited Fugees, among others — are stellar, but it's Chapelle's impromptu riffing with ordinary folk that give the movie its feel-good vibe. The disc's extras, which include two making-of documentaries, are as fun as the original film.