"The Best of Chappelle's Show" Comedy Central Grade: C-
Comedian Dave Chappelle hosted "Chappelle's Show" for several years. The show consisted of various comedic sketches and skits. As it rapidly rose through the ratings charts, Chappelle stunned fans by announcing his departure from the show. It was subsequently cancelled.
Reasons for Chappelle's sudden exit are unclear. He said in an interview with USA Today that he flew to South Africa for a "spiritual retreat," but he denied the numerous rumors that suggest he had drug problems or questionable mental health. Nevertheless, Comedy Central President Doug Herzog mentioned in the same interview that he is willing to restart the show. Chappelle has shown no interest in Herzog's offer.
Though the television show is no more, various Chappelle incarnations continue to see DVD release. The newest, titled "The Best Of Chappelle's Show," contains the top 25 Chappelle skits.
The DVD cover, an image of Chappelle sporting his coy, this-man-didn't-do-it expression, does nothing to suggest he is any different from the torrents of black comedians who make jokes about white people and the positions of different ethnic groups in society.
One of the reasons Chappelle has cited for leaving his show was that he did not like the direction it had taken, something this reviewer can understand. The 25 skits are an awkward clutter of racist jokes that tend to leave viewers feeling unsatisfied. The problem, for instance, with a skit about a blind white supremacist who also happens to be African-American is that viewers can predict just about every joke's punch line.
Chappelle also takes overacting to ridiculous new heights. Instead of trusting viewers to understand the subtle meaning behind his jokes, he shoves them down their throats with an unflattering, in-your-face style. The skits themselves are surprisingly innovative, but performances often fall flat. Chappelle's skit involving a drug addict giving an anti-drug lecture to a grade school class would have been terrific had his performance not been so spectacularly flamboyant.
Chappelle falls into the trap that many comedians are unable to avoid: he draws material for his jokes from ethnic groups, drugs and the ghetto. Everybody has listened to a comedy routine about these topics before. And without a new twist, Chappelle's material gets old quickly.
Were it not for the skit format, Chappelle's comedy would be identical to most of the standup performed on Comedy Central. Anyone can make jokes about ethnic groups, but it takes innovation to captivate audiences. Chappelle was obviously trying to come up with a unique way to convey his jokes, but unfortunately the skits play off as nothing more than poor standup recycling jokes that everyone has heard before.
People who enjoy raunchy, no-holds-barred jokes about race, class and culture may enjoy Chappelle's skits. They warrant a chuckle every now and then. But they certainly don't warrant another DVD release, especially considering that this content can be found on other "Chappelle's Show" DVDs.
Even for those unfamiliar with "Chappelle's Show," this DVD seems rather pointless. The curious and the uninitiated can just check out the television reruns and make their own decisions regarding the show.
