Dave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation (2017) Reviews

• This one was real

  charles-ahweyevu2018-01-09

  I believe this is my favorite of the Netflix specials just because of the low key energy Dave had through out the whole thing and the wisdom he provides. What he says about the sexual allegations was profound to me. Example being of him talking about how some prominent male actors wanted to help the women's causes but instead get ostracize because they themselves also did some sexual harassing/assaulting themselves in their younger days. Then he beautifully draws a parallel with what happened in South Africa's apartheid and how that situation got solved not by ostracizing everyone that contributed to the system but by making a safe space for everyone to confess to what they did(Full disclosure, I don't know if that's true or not. I just took Dave's word for it.) So pretty much saying that that's what women in Hollywood should do. They should make a safe space for men to confess their sins so that they can learn and move on. Then of course the allegory of the iceberg slim's book "Pimp" to why he left the Chappelle show was very profound. Personally I never knew Dave Chappelle was this intelligent. Don't get me wrong. I never thought the man was stupid. I just thought he was only a talented comedian. But he shows that he's a little bit more than that and that's why this is my favorite of his Netflix stand up. TL:DR: It is a really good stand up set. Not too many zingers but very interesting watch nonetheless because of the wisdom he speaks on the sexual assaults in Hollywood and also the reason (kindof) of why he left the Chappelle show.

• Earnest in its thought process even if it is not always funny or correct in what it does

  bob the moo2018-02-11

  Not the funniest of the Chappelle Netflix specials, this one has a very slow and serious pace to it; often Chappelle seems to be more animated in his reaction to his jokes than his audience is. Indeed at times his audience seems uncertain how to react to his train of thought. As the headlines had sort of told me beforehand, this special seems Chappelle mull over the #MeToo movement and accusations against famous people - ranging from those raped at the hands of powerful men, through to those who had to listen to someone masturbating on the other end of the phone. I mention this contrast because it is particularly the one that he makes in this show. In doing so he makes an engaging show which is difficult and a little uncomfortable at times, but has a base in comedy and produces some good laughs. I say some because the show is mostly not that funny, but yet it is engaging. Chappelle himself leans into the material, perhaps more than he can carry off convincingly, but mostly his thoughts ring true as a genuine pondering. Overall it is not that great a show in terms of laughter, but I was engaged by it on the subject matter as well as the comedy.

• Should provide excellent re-watch value

  Quinoa19842018-01-02

  What I like about this one - its small club setting making things low key and like he's there just having a conversation with us - is also what keeps it somewhat minor compared to the first New Year's special. This could change on a second viewing though; highlights include Louis CKs "freckled p***is"; the most compelling argument (maybe once and for all) about why Michael Jackson's allegations were unfounded due to how he showed off his place to the kids; and a complex story about a cold pimp in France in the 40s who he connects in a long and winding way as to why he quit the Chappelle Show and kept a lower profile (that second one is partially why I need to watch it again to let that story sink in more). Chappelle is still a master here, just more about a lower energy for the most part than usual. It's real and introspective too; if you are expecting the typical stand up you may either get disappointed or thrown off. if you've ever been to an intimate space for comedy, Chappell delivers that. It's like you're there.

• Critics did it again.

  goodweed_the_junkee2018-01-13

  This piece is one of his best. Well-written, well-spoken, well-acted. A lot of knowledge in one bit, and the critics once again trying to put something good down. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.

• Provocative, Unflinching, Funny... In short, Chappelle.

  sdente-574112018-01-18

  The life of an iconoclastic comedian is not easy. You surf dangerous waves -- Mavericks-sized -- to the point break. Maybe you can be funny with airplane and 'men are from mars' jokes, but what you really want to talk about is the stuff that grates at you, that makes your audience just a little squeamish, that makes you just a little unpopular. In his most intimate special to date, Chappelle handles hot coals with bare hands, dishing the jokes lesser comedians wished they had the talent to write and the balls to actually say. Even edgy comedians perform a practiced progressivism that doesn't dare go beyond the buoys, even if it appears on the surface as raunchy or blue. Ours is a time when what you say is used against you in the court of public opinion, an exceedingly clamorous, outraged, offended, and craven entity. I can only say that I am glad that Chappelle has not acceded to the standard to which most now resign themselves. Still, as a comedian, one dictate looms large above the rest: Be funny. And man does he deliver.