Chris Rock: Bigger & Blacker

I'm not a fan of Chris Rock in general - I never really thought he was that special; on "Saturday Night Live" he annoyed me and his films so far have been pretty pathetic. His racist remarks around last year's Oscar ceremony really p!ssed me off, too - more so than anything else he had done or said in the past.

So I approached this live comedy performance with skepticism. As bad as he may be in films, one of my friends told me he's "great at standup" - so I gave it a shot late last night at three o'clock in the morning on Comedy Central's uncut & unedited "Vault" program.

I was surprised because it was actually pretty funny. It's not brilliant, and certainly not on the same level as Richard Pryor, but it's promising - and shows that Rock is FAR more suited for standup than, say, acting or sketch shows.

If you aren't familiar with Rock's work, check this out. If you hate Rock and haven't seen this, check it out, too. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Be warned, however, that the language is very strong.

Chris Rock is the funniest man I have ever known. He is ON POINT, in everything he says. He brings up political, health, and social issues, from gun control to race, that really makes you think and laugh because it's so true. His speech on gun control can be seen in Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine." Rock is intelligent and funny, and we see this in this HBO special.

There is a scene in his current film, "Head of State" that shows the views of Chris Rock that we find in "Bigger and Blacker." I also recommend "The Best of Chris Rock."

"There isn't any money in the cure, the money is in the medicine. That's how a drug dealer makes his money, on the cutbacks. . . They got metal on the space shuttle that can go around the moon that can withstand temp. of 25,000 degrees; you mean to tell me they can't make an El Dorado that bumper don't fall off?" (on finding the cure for AIDS)

Rock writes and performs with pure genius and clarity. He says things that everyone has thought about but couldn't put into words. For those who didn't have HBO, RENT IT!! I give this 10/10!

This is the way comedy should be made. If you're sick and tired of Seinfeld's silly comedy about insignificant things in life, or Robin Williams' clown theathrics, then Chris Rock is guaranteed to make you laugh. Chris talks about the late 90s biggest issues... (Racism, Sex, Columbine High School, Clinton, etc). Bigger and Blacker will make your stomach hurt will laughter.

The Doug E. Fresh intro perfectly sets the mood for the frantic and energetic Chris Rock. Bigger & Blacker is an HBO production filmed in the Apollo Theater and is brilliant satire from the perspective of an African-American.

Rock lays the smack down on topics such as school violence, gun control, irresponsible parents, neglected fathers, infidelity, bigotry, and the poor state of health care. His assertions are blunt, bold, and are fired from point-blank: "A man is only as faithful as his options", "Men lie but women are much bigger liars", "Blacks and whites have little to complain about, consider the state of Native Americans".

All of Rock's material is solid and most of it is intelligent and thought-provoking. He slips into crudeness only briefly as he suggests that the blind be assigned to midgets instead of seeing-eye dogs and when he mentions his contempt for women that don't provide oral servicing. Also, he picks on white people a little, but it is not really funny like when Richard Pryor teased white people. These minor flaws are certainly not deal breakers. Rock is providing a solid hour of comedy here. He has a superb rapport with his audience and his delivery is very good overall with only a couple instances of repeating himself or otherwise stalling as he gathers his thoughts. This is an adult show and profanity is used liberally, but not quite what I would consider gratuitously. Overall this is a very good show that all fans of stand-up comedy, should consider viewing. Chris Rock deserves to go home to the big piece of chicken (inside joke-watch the show).

by Dane Youssef

This is one of the funniest and perhaps greatest stand-up bits ever made. And I have seen more than my fair share.

I had seen Rock mostly from bit comedic parts. Films like "Beverly Hills Cop II" and "Beverly Hills Ninja." Not to mention "Boomerang." But I was unaware to this man genius with a mike for the longest time (too long, in my opinion).

Rock is mostly known as "The angry, loud little black guy bitching how the white man is trying to personally keep him down." But he's so much more. He speaks with such insight and eloquence about humanity and the races and the sexes, I think of him as a superman or some prodigy.

His theories here: Women who want to raise kids without a man's help, respect and appreciation for Daddy, fat black women, people's obsession with the OJ trial and how white people bitch about their current financial status. But given the choice... they wouldn't trade places with a black man. Not even him.

"And I'm rich!" he exclaims.

Not even the poor white trash. Or the one-legged busboy busing the concert. "That's how GOOD it is to be white!"

Maybe he's right.

"When you're white, the sky's the limit! When you're black, the limit's the sky!"

He goes into other stuff. Where guys hide their porno. What women are truly thinking. Perhaps he's the only man who truly knows. He also has some great childhood stuff about being the only black kid at his school at how Robitussin was an all-purpose medicine at his house. Like people use to think leeches were.

This is a gem on film. The man created gold when he's given a microphone and a stage. I bought the tape a year later and a lot of Rock's others. I'm serious. It's so incredible, funny and true to life and painfully on target that at times we flinch when he aims directly at us. It's almost scary.

May Chris Rock be forever immortalized in the same status as Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Bill Hicks. Every generation (just once) every generation... a creature as divine as this is born into this pitiful mortal world... and changes it forever.

Now the black Def Jam comics who have made their own showcase vehicles, "The Original Kings of Comedy" and "The Queens of Comedy." They are very talented and amazing. Like I even need to say so. I'm preaching to the choir, aren't I? But even they're not in Chris Rock's league.

Rock is up there (as far as I'm concerned) with those who redefined comedy and now the modern comics incorporate it into their act, without even knowing where the hell it first came from. Who was the innovator. Who started it all.

Here is a man who deserves the success Seinfeld has had. Maybe if he had a revolutionary sit-com with his own brand of comedy. Who knows?

The sky's the limit for Rock.

I hope he makes another stand-up concert film. I liked his stand-up concert bits in "Head of State." Let's hope he does more.

This concert film is more than a gem, but a treasure. Look for any of his others. One of the best stand-up concert films ever made, if not actually THE best. Worthy of being put-up on par with "Richard Pryor Live On The Sunset Strip" and "Eddie Murphy Raw," this one richly deserves a 10 out of 10.

Enough said.

--For The Rock That Rocks... Hard, Dane Youssef