Funny, but what has been clear to me from the beginning of the "controversial" joke set that fomented the lighting of torches and the passing out of pitchforks, is that those who were the most upset about same said set, had either NEVER actually HEARD the set, or, they were as ignorant as an amoeba in a pool of pond water, thus, the ensuing LACK cranial processing power, and or understanding of the English language beyond a remedial level, causing them to entirely MISS the point of the story, which was to HONOR a Trans person named Daphne Dorman, whom he had befriended.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/dave-chappelle-daphne-dorman-comedy-special-the-closer-transphobic-172503363.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Dave observed Daphne at several of his shows laughing raucously, and after meeting her, found out she was trying to break into stand up, so, he actually gave her a shot to OPEN one of his shows. AS Dave tells it in the original set, she wasn't very good, but, he coached her and gave her pointers in the hopes that she would get better. Daphne had been married, and had a daughter, and, long story short, didn't ever "make it" as a comic, and, sadly, one day apparently stepped off the roof of a tall building and called it a wrap.
https://people.com/movies/transgender-comedian-daphne-dorman-dies-at-44-weeks-after-shoutout-from-dave-chappelle/
Dave closed the segment by saying he hoped to one day meet Daphne's daughter, and tell her, "Naia, I knew your Father, and, he was one HELL of a Woman".
And, yet, the Alphabet Mafia and their supporters found this tribute, offensive, and came for Dave, not telling the COMPLETE story, but cherry picking words and phrases in an weak attempt to paint Dave Chappelle as some sort of bigoted Transphobe. Now, I have never met Dave, and, I'm not privy to the inner workings of his subconscious, but, I CAN say with some confidence, that Dave ADMIRED Daphne, and, was sad that their friendship ended in the way that it did.
But I digress.... Fast forward to his current special, "The Dreamer" more than FOUR years after his friend died, and, a certain segment of people are STILL offended at something that NEVER ACTUALLY happened, yet, the nattering nabob's of negativity continue to demand an apology and the appropriate penance and remorse even as the packed house watching seemed to not really be concerned for his perceived transgression(s).
And yes, he does address the controversy in a roundabout way by telling the story of how he met one of his hero's, Jim Carrey, but, Jim was method acting for his role as "Man in the Moon", Andy Kaufman, and wouldn't come out of character, with all of his staff calling him "Andy", and chastising Dave when he called him by his ACTUAL name. Dave said it was eerie and confusing, which, was the way he feels when he meets Transexual people. (Bada Boom..)
As others have commented, this wasn't Dave's funniest set, but, he made some good points about Will Smith, and Chris Rock, Being attacked on stage, the need for Bodyguards to NEVER wear slippery soled dress shoes (to which I can testify), and, being in the cast of our own, or someone else's dream.
Controversial or not, Dave speaks the truth as he see's it, and, whether his vision inspires of offends you, his is a voice that needs to be heard. Like Bruce, Carlin, Pryor, along with other legends before him, it's up to us, if we want to listen, and REALLY hear.
I didn’t really laugh once….. he is hit and miss, not so funny when you’re making an effort to put down minorities… the jokes aren’t funny…. They aren’t really jokes…. Overrated….
Another one the censors at letterboxd probably hate. Dave's not backing down to offended inc. His bit on Chris Rock was decent, the long joke story he ends with was the weakest bit. But every jab at the alphabet mob was well deserved.
If you use the term "punching down" you're stupid, go away.
An hour goes by so fast.. it's not that Dave has a ton of laugh out loud moments but he has an incredible story telling ability and stage presence..I have loved Dave Chappelle for a long time shit since we was kids watching Con Air.. the last 10 minutes and the photo memories credits are worth sticking around for
I love Dave as much as the next person, but this is probably the worst I've seen off him.
Not as funny as his other shows but that's because this is more of a ted talk. The balance of humour and honesty in his words is so chefs kiss. Don't get me wrong it's funny.
Not his best, but even when he isn't, he's still outperforming most of other comedians I've seen. The opening joke though... Masterpiece like every opening he does. You're never really ready for them. There's a reason he's the best English speaking comedian of all time.
I watched him do stand-up for the first time. I don't know if this is his usual style, but I didn't find it funny how he made fun of disabled people. I found it disturbing that everyone was laughing at those 'jokes.' Maybe it's because they paid for the ticket and wanted to get the most out of it. Also, there were clearly a few paid audience members who started screaming 'whoo' at certain keywords, but couldn't always get everybody to join in the clapping.
Rated a Connor 5, normal 6.7
Dreamer reminds us why Dave Chappelle is the King. He's the jester laughing at the king and making us feel comfortable enough to laugh too.
Between this one and Ricky Gervais' Armageddon, I don't know which one was more tame. Quite a lackluster ending for 2023 in terms of big names of stand-up comedy.
Shout by alexnaderBlockedParent2024-01-01T06:09:10Z
I went online and found a few lists of the "best stand-ups" of 2023, then started to watch their shows, and none of them managed to make me not want to stop the way Dave's does. I ended up watching the whole thing as soon as I started it.
I think he's hilarious. Sure this wasn't the funniest he's ever been, but even his mid material is so much better than most, so enjoyed it through and through.