Created by
Neal Brennan
Dave Chappelle
Cast:
Dave Chappelle … Various
Donnell Rawlings … Announcer
DJ Cipha Sounds … Himself – D.J.
Karl Lake … Robot Dancer
Neal Brennan
Charles Q. Murphy … Himself
Mos Def … Anonymous Actor
Melle Powers … Ashley ‘Smashly’ Evans
Greer Barnes … Eddie Murphy
Paul Mooney … Negrodamus
Sophina Brown … Clifton’s Wife
Considering that all of the material on this disc has been previously released in the first two season box sets of Chappelle’s Show as well as Chappelle’s Show – The Lost Episodes, it would be easy to condemn Comedy Central for double-dipping, as the network is obviously trying to get every last cent out of the short-lived, but immensely popular sketch comedy series. While this notion is hard to deny, for those viewers who loved the show but didn’t want to buy the series’ seasons, The Best of Chappelle’s Show is definitely a nice economical alternative. What’s also surprising is just how comprehensive this disc seems to be, putting together 2 ½ hours of some of the best skits of any show of this type in the last twenty years.
Seemingly all of your favorites are here, from the ridiculously outrageous Clayton Bigsby: Blind White Supremacist to the hilariously brilliant meeting between Dave and Hollywood fame. Unlike many of the Best of Saturday Night Live discs, which seem to always be hit and miss, The Best of Chappelle’s Show seems to nail all the high spots from the series’ two-plus years. Pound for pound, you would be hard pressed to find a single DVD packed with as many laughs as this one does.
What’s incredible is just how successful the comedy still is, even after watching these skits several times. A Night with Wayne Brady is still shocking, and the biting commentary of Black Bush is as potent as ever, but in taking in these skits again, I realized how much I love the little moments of comedy the most. Samuel Jackson Beer’s final bite of peanuts combined with “Yes they deserved to die, and I hope they burn in hell!” still comes off as the sketches funniest moment, as well as the soft five between the white commentators after the blacks take back O.J. Simpson in the Racial Draft.
It’s just too bad that the show was cut short the way it was, especially considering how Chappelle was able to bring his hopes and fears about fame to the screen. Then again, you can see in Dave’s skit about trying to stay true to himself and his comedy despite fame, just how scared he was about turning into a corporate entity. Like it or not, Dave Chappelle went out on top, which is all you can really hope for some times.
If you already own the first two seasons of Chappelle’s Show, then there’s no reason to get this disc. This is strictly for fans who missed out on those sets and simply want the cream of the Dave Chappelle crop. While it would be easy to pick apart The Best of Chappelle’s Show as a cash-in, it’s hard to argue with the brilliant comedy contained on this disc.
The Video
The print on this disc is absolutely fantastic, with crystal clear picture quality throughout. There didn’t seem to be any degradation whatsoever, as skits look even better than they did on the original Chappelle discs. The show is presented in full screen with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
The Audio
The Audio track is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and also sounds pretty amazing. This will be most apparent during the R. Kelly skits.
Bonus Episode – I was worried that my absolute favorite sketch of the show’s entire run wasn’t included on this disc and was beginning to really get angry, until I saw that it was included as a special feature all by itself. Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Story Featuring Rick James is, I believe, the highlight of the entire series’ run and this disc features the entire episode it was featured in, or you can watch the skits separately. You only have an option to just listen to Charlie Murphy’s stories by themselves uncut, which are pretty funny in and of themselves without Rick James or Chappelle’s impression.
Bloopers – These are also pretty funny, but don’t let loose with the hilarity in the way the sketches do all by themselves.
Previews – You get previews for other Comedy Central DVD’s, including the new South Park DVD.
The Best of Chappelle’s Show (Uncensored) |
|
