Block Party (2005)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Michel Gondry

Writer:

Dave Chappelle (writer)

Release Date:

3 March 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Comedy | Music

Tagline:

You're invited to the party of the decade!

Plot:

A mix of Dave Chappelle's sketch comedy and musical interludes, inspired in part by the 1973 documentary Wattstax.

Plot Keywords:

Marching Band | Block Party | Neighborhood | Kitchen Scene | Bedford Stuyvesant

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Dave Chappelle	...	Himself / Host
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Erykah Badu	...	Herself
Isaac ben Ayala	...	Isaac ben Ayala
Bilal	...	Himself (as Bilal Oliver)
Lil' Cease	...	Himself - Bed-Stuy
Cody ChesnuTT	...	Himself
Keyshia Cole	...	Herself
Common	...	Himself
Mos Def	...	Himself
Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis	...	Himself - The Fugees (as Jerry 'Wonda' Duplessis)
The Fugees	...	Themselves
Alice Goguen	...	Herself - Ohio
James 'Kamal' Gray	...	Himself - The Roots
Fred Hampton Jr.	...	Himself (as Chairman Fred Hampton Jr.)
Lauryn Hill	...	Herself - The Fugees
Leonard 'Hub' Hubbard	...	Himself - The Roots
Darren Hymes	...	Himself - 'Mr. T.'
Wyclef Jean	...	Himself - The Fugees
Big Daddy Kane	...	Himself
Talib Kweli	...	Himself
John Legend	...	Himself
Martin Luther	...	Himself
Pharoahe Monch	...	Himself
Pras	...	Himself - The Fugees (as Prakazrel 'Pras' Michel)
Dead Prez	...	Themselves
Kool G. Rap	...	Himself
The Roots	...	Themselves
Jill Scott	...	Herself
Ahmir-Khalib Thompson	...	Himself (as Ahmir '?uestlove' Thompson)
Tariq Trotter	...	Himself - The Roots (as Tariq 'Black Thought' Trotter)
Kanye West	...	Himself
Arthur Wood	...	Himself
Cynthia Wood	...	Herself

Also Known As:

Dave Chappelle's Block Party (Canada: English title) (festival title) (International: English title) (USA) (complete title)
Untitled Dave Chappelle/Michel Gondry Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

103 min | Canada:100 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Canada:14A | Australia:M | Ireland:15A | Germany:o.Al. | USA:R (certificate #42383) | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Bob Yari Productions

Trivia:

The actual concert was shot on Downing Street in Brooklyn, NY on September 18, 2004. The scenes in Ohio leading up to the concert were shot three days in advance.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Dave Chappelle's main reason for holding the block party in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn was because, he says, that hip-hop originated there. However, hip-hop really originated in the South Bronx and spread to the other sections of New York soon afterward.

Quotes:

Dave Chappelle: [dressed as a pimp] Where's my money, bitch?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kingdom of the Vampire (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Parting Ways

This movie ROCKS!

I just saw the premiere screening of "Dave Chappelle's Block Party" at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was introduced by director Michel Gondry as a work in progress.

The concept is simple: In the summer of 2004, Dave Chappelle, on the heels of the success of his unfortunately now-ill-fated TV show, decided to throw himself a big party. So he recruited his favorite artists (Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Kanye West, Common, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Cody Chesnutt, John Legend, The Roots, and a reunited Fugees - not to mention guest shots by Big Daddy Kane and Kool Herc) to play an old-school style block party in Brooklyn. The film chronicles this party, intercutting riveting performance footage with backstage antics and a documentary that chronicles Dave's efforts in organizing the event, during which he not only tries to lure Brooklynites to the top-secret show, but also, by issuing a series of Willy Wonka-style golden tickets, a variety of people from all races and walks of life in the rural Ohio town where he lives. It's a trip to watch the older white folks from Ohio, who've never listened to a hip-hop record in their lives, having a blast at a Block Party in the heart of Bed Stuy.

Long story short, the result is not only hands-down the best hip-hop concert film ever made, but also a genuinely moving piece of film-making that somehow nearly brought me to tears in parts. Fundamentally, this is a heart-warming tribute to the power of hip-hop, just as 'A Great Day In Harlem' was for jazz and 'Woodstock' and 'The Last Waltz' were for rock n' roll. Though there was certainly some roughness in the sound mix and image quality at this particular screening, the vitality of the film was evident in spades. Not to sound too corny, but this is a piece of work that celebrates the human spirit - a bright light in the midst an arguably cynical cultural landscape.

The concert itself is amazing - a hip-hop show filled with the kind of moments of spontaneity usually only seen in rock concerts. You can see how the artists here are all friends, and they keep it loose and ego-free, often jumping onstage with one another during the course of the show, to marvellous effect. Some notable highlights: a spine-tingling version of Kanye West's 'Jesus Walks', performed with a full marching band that Dave invites from an Ohio college; the reunion of Black Star for an almost trip-hoppy rendition of 'Definition' that I desperately now want a recording of; Dead Prez's blistering version of 'Hip-Hop'; Erykah Badu ripping off her afro weave mid-set when the wind becomes a bit too unforgiving; Mos Def's late-night improv version of 'Umi Says' (and when he joins Dave on drums for an impromptu comedy set); Big Daddy Kane jumping onstage with The Roots and positively electrifying the dumbfounded crowd; and, of course, the headlining act, The Reunited Fugees - particularly Lauryn Hill's stirring vocals on 'Killing Me Softly'.

Anyway, enough praise. Long story short, at this screening the audience exploded with thunderous applause as soon as the incomplete end credits came up, and a few people were even stirred out of their seats for a standing O - something I've never really seen at the screening of a rough cut.

Check this out when it comes to DVD. It'll make you feel good.