I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good movie but grossly overrated

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The first must-see film of the year.

I take very seriously the whole process of consuming or taking part in artistic expression. Consequently, I also take very seriously the act of reviewing a movie feature, either with a rating on a website or with a written essay about it.If one cares to check my rating history, it's easy to realize I'm not one to give away 10 stars ratings that easily. Great movies which are universally praised haven't got it. To get a 10, a movie has to hit all the right notes with me."David Chappelle's Block Party" did it - but I'm not surprised. Only one director managed to get 4 of his movies rated 10 on my list. This means I'm putting Michel Gondry as the best director of all times, over the greats such as Tarantino, Gilliam, Kubrick, Hitchcock, Robert Wise, the Coen brothers and so many more, including Godard, Renoir or Scola.Those who know me are aware that I hate what I call "fanboyism" (i.e. the culture of idolatry) more than anything in life. I truly believe it's one of the most serious maladies of our times. But this guy knows how to shoot movies better than any other human being, so what can I say? The fact that he seems to avoid the temptation of becoming arrogant about his own success, and that this humility clearly shows on the way he writes his film-making history, it's evidence enough for me that what he has done should be an example for all others venturing in the crazy world of cinema.I also believe cinema and art as a whole should always be a tool to raise social awareness, so those who think "cinema is entertainment" should not even have started reading my review. For this very same reason I tend to give higher ratings to documentaries in general, as opposed to fictional feature movies - although biopics and history movies also take advantage of my bias, to the extent that they provide an accurate portrait of reality.The other three Gondry movies I've given a 10-star rating: "Eternal Sunshine...", "La science des rêves" and "Be Kind Rewind" - they all share this same verisimilitude quality, even though they are all science-fiction. I suppose it doesn't have to be real, to feel real.Besides these qualities aforementioned, a 10-star movie should also be beautifully shot, carry a compelling story, have beautiful music and likable characters. More than anything, they have to make me cry. And they have to make me laugh, and laugh hard. They need to be able to make me realize how beautiful the world we live in is. But they also cannot ever try to make me forget all the terrible things that we do to each other.They need to remind me how fragile is peace and harmony in the world, they should bring about a sober recognition of the challenges we face, and the defeats we've suffered in the past. But they should not be apocalyptic or defeatist (looking at you, Ridley Scott). We're still alive, and that's the good news, always. Aliens don't always have to invade Earth, conflict for conflict's sake does not a good movie make.It might sound crazy that a movie about a block party in Brooklyn could elicit so many feelings in one person sitting on the other side of the planet... I've watched it twice, separated by a good number of years, to make sure that it does. And it does, and I still love every minute of it, down to the very last second of soundtrack on the credits. Bare in mind that I'm not even a huge hip-hop fan, but this isn't about a music genre - it's about people like me, like all of us.Nobody in the world could have done it so beautifully, so gently, so unpretentiously. Nobody but Dave Chappelle could make me lose my breath laughing, and keep a smile on my face for almost two hours. Nobody in the world would have been able to capture the beauty of this reality, without putting his own ego on the way, but Michel Gondry - not unlike what he did on the very good "The We and the I", though here on "Block Party" once again he has achieved perfection. And he did so once again by not getting in the way of a beautiful story waiting to be told. His eyes are our eyes, the eyes of curious people not looking for a lecture, but eager to be allowed in different worlds, and to be accepted therein.Watch this, then join me on waiting for whatever the folks involved on this movie come up with next. They're talented and they appreciate the beauty that exists in this world, and we badly need it now that the dark times are back.

It is very refreshing to see a Michel Gondry film with hardly any descriptive marks to tell you he made it. Besides the opening titles being drawn in bright colors on the fence behind Dave Chappelle and the one instance where we hear Gondry's French accent ask Jill Scott a question, this could be any old concert film. Well, I shouldn't say that…Block Party is definitely a one of a kind, behind the scenes look at a bunch of people giving back to the community and having a real good time doing so. Chappelle says it best early on when discussing why he was putting together this free show in Brooklyn: he was a fan of each artist before he ever met them and this is the concert he'd like to see. I must say, not being the biggest rap/hip-hop fan out there, it is quite the show.Even a total dork rock fan as myself gets goosebumps and understands the amount of talent on stage here. When you have The Roots going with Scott and Eryakah Badu singing backup, it's something special. Not to mention Common and Mos Def rapping with everyone, Dead Prez singing with Chappelle's commentary, Kanye West coming out with the Ohio State University marching band playing Jesus Walks behind him, and the reuniting of The Fugees, the music is top-notch. However, the concert aspect isn't the best part. No, Gondry has spliced in some wonderful nuggets of candid looks, comedic moments, and historical tidbits to enhance the background soundtrack. Being the music video maestro he is, I couldn't think of someone better to portray the true meaning of the show with the event itself, infusing each moment with the heart that went in, cross-cutting stories of the attendees with practice sessions and live performances on the stage without one false move.Chappelle's rapport with everyone is something to see a well. He is self-deprecating and compassionate to all those that cross his path, culling a diverse group of people from his Ohio hometown to join the other fans coming into Brooklyn to watch the stage in front of Broken Angel, the derelict building being restored into something better than it ever was, and Dave's scouting location for any Hollywood film in need of a crack house. That house, however, not only gives us an intriguing venue coupled with the day care center next-door who's manager allowed them to use its roof as a box seat, but also two of the eccentric characters that shape the movie. The elderly couple living in that house is so out-there, yet so real, that you are able to see past the getups and crazed stereotypes you may be thinking of. This is a couple married for 46 years, with quite the story on how they decided to join lives, who don't enjoy rap because of all the swearing and language inappropriate for adults let alone children. Even so, they stick around and partake in the event—while also offering a place for Dave to rest his loins whenever he'd like—as the many others do, including his elderly white shop workers from Ohio and that "one Mexican" who can't be found.The anecdotes and confessionals really shine as they are peppered through the musical acts. The OSU marching band story is great, especially if his accidentally finding them is true, because they are a perfect example for what Chappelle is trying to do. Words from the one musician about how young people must seize their opportunities and how all these famous people are just like him, enjoying the skill and playing of everyone else, really hit home. Also, the band's presence allows for a wonderful coda from Wyclef Jean after a nice solo at the piano. Strong words about how these young kids can't use excuses and blame "the man" for all their troubles hold some meaning in the venue he speaks them in. He says that he came to America not knowing English and he found a way to become a success. If they want to follow they must show the initiative and not hide behind excuses and laziness. You want to learn something and better yourself, go to the library, education is there for the taking if you want it.Besides the message and morals being thrown around, I really just enjoyed the inside look. Hearing what someone like Jill Scott has to say about Badu's effect on her, or Lauryn Hill explaining how The Fugees formed and Pras talking about the differences he and Jean had breaking the group apart, or even the bureaucracy surrounding the reason why the group reformed for the show to begin with—Columbia not giving clearance for Hill to sing her own songs on the film. A lot went into the creation of this historic event and the filmmakers do justice to the end result. You know it's been a success when you can go through the whole review without really touching on the star's comic routine. Chappelle is definitely funny at every turn, cracking some spot on jokes, challenging a fan to a rap dual on stage, and just having a blast as the number one fan out of the whole crowd. Block Party is definitely something to experience.

This movie's editing was pretty scattershot, the overall direction is laissez faire and there's only a skeleton of a story in place. As far as a documentary goes, there's nothing tight or polished about it. As a concert film goes, it's too unfocused on the concert itself to really be all about the music. The film certainly isn't a recording of Chappelle's comedy act. So... how does this hybridized scatterbrained film still manage to collect an enthusiastic response from me? I blame it on one man: Dave Chappelle. There's something about his character and persona that's just magnetic. It seems to be contagious as the individuals he comes in contact with all seem to spark up after they interact with him. When he gives the golden tickets to the two kids in Ohio, their conversation with the camera afterwards carries an excitement that you don't normally get. When Dave invites the Central States University marching band to join the concert, the enthusiasm is almost overwhelming. And as Dave muses on music, politics, comedy and the concert, you get a sense that there's a lot more to him than the racially-tinged scatological humor that he often presents in his comedy act and his Show.And although Dave Chappelle is the real joy of the film, in all of his goofy enthusiasm, the music acts and the contributing cast of concert goers adds to the overall vibe of the film well. From the opening of the concert with a large prayer and who I think was Common praying over the evening to the resting of the concert after the Fugees show up in a wondrous event, you get a sense that this concert is a whole lot more than the commercial endeavors often put on by artists. Maybe it was because it was a free concert, or maybe because the organizer and the acts were all of a different flavor than what typically gets played on radio, but you could sense positivity oozing out of the screen.And of course, part of me just went for the music. The list of contributers included The Roots, Common, Kanye West, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Dead Prez and even a potent Fugees reunion. Often joining each other on stage. That was worth the ticket price for me right there. The energy was cut loose from the start and the interspersing of the concert footage with the story around the concert was effective in keeping the momentum of the film going. Dave Chappelle provided moments of comedy throughout the film as well to keep us and the concertgoers entertained. Nothing as potent as on his show, but nevertheless, humorous and enjoyable.The real weaknesses occur when the film strays a little too far from the concert and Chappelle and the momentum slows down tremendously and cutting into an energetic concert right after slowing down the tone of the film creates a bit of dissonance. But once the film gets buoyant it's pretty difficult to slow down. A bit of a more careful editing job would've let to a much more effervescent result. But in its current state, this was the best block party I've ever attended and the most enjoyable hybrid concert/comedy/documentary I've seen in a while.Recommended, especially if you know the music and enjoy it. 8/10.

Prior to watching this film, I thought it was going to be a Dave Chappelle comedy with a few musical acts performing- the musical acts supporting the comedy. However,it ended up where this film is primarily the making of a concert narrated by Chappelle. I may be wrong, but I expected to see more comedy out of Chappelle since he is, you know, a comic. Maybe some stand up and a few skits. What we basically have in this movie is Chappelle going around and having people tell him how great he is. I feel this film should have been marketed more as a concert film because, as it is, it is a bit misleading. If you are into hip hop, you will find some enjoyment in this film because of some of the acts that perform. If you have no interest in hip hop, you will probably hate this film because there is very little comedy.