Comedy Performance

In September 2004, comedian Dave Chappelle took a break from his immensely successful Comedy Central show to stage a free, unpublicized, all-star hip-hop concert in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Inviting fans over the Internet, on the street, and even in his family's hometown of Yellow Springs, OH, Chappelle asked filmmaker Michel Gondry to document the event from its inception on through to the performances themselves. The result is Dave Chappelle's Block Party, a concert film that provides not only a sampling of the music on display that September, but also an intimate look at the comedian himself. Gondry's cameras tag along with Chappelle as he visits Ohio, recruits a university marching band to play at the show, and surveys the opinions of Clinton Hill on the show that's about to take place. Along the way, we're introduced to some the comedian's favorite acts, in rehearsals and on-stage: Dead Prez, Jill Scott, Mos Def, the Roots, Erykah Badu, Kanye West, and the surprise reuniting of the Fugees. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Saddle up for laughs and hold on for a hilarious night of down-home humor as rural-minded comics Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White come together to crack audiences up in this second follow-up to the 2003 stand up hit Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie. Armed with all-new material and always ready to offer their unique insight into country living, Foxworthy, Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy, and White lay on the jokes for home viewers to enjoy from the best seat in the house. When the show is over, this country comedy quartet heads back to the tour bus to tune up the guitar and offer a hilarious musical ode to all things blue collar. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Comic and filmmaker Albert Brooks serves his country while struggling to get some laughs in this offbeat satiric comedy. Brooks plays himself, a comedic filmmaker whose most recent success was providing the voice of a fish for an animated feature and who has just been passed by as director for a remake of Harvey. As Brooks wonders what's going to happen next with his career, his wife (Amy Ryan), and his daughter, he's approached by government representatives who want him for a special assignment. The State Department, eager to better understand the cultural gap between the United States and the Middle East, have been directed by the president to make a study of what makes Muslims laugh. Brooks is asked to fly to India and Pakistan and bring back a 500-page report on Muslim humor; told the Medal of Freedom may be his if he comes through, Brooks accepts. With a pair of State Department officials in tow, Stuart (John Carroll Lynch) and Mark (Jon Tenney), and some help from a local assistant, Maya (Sheetal Sheth), Brooks sets out to find the funny bone of India's and Pakistan's Muslim communities, though it doesn't take long to find out what they don't find funny -- his standup act. Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World was originally set for release in the United States by Sony Pictures Classics, but when they became nervous over the film's title, they dropped the project and it was picked up for distribution by Warner Independent Pictures. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

"A family walks into a talent agent's office..." So begins "The Aristocrats," a joke kept mostly secret by stand-up comedians for decades. An intentionally "bad" joke, the laughs in The Aristocrats aren't in the punch-line (one of the only elements that's the same every time), but in the set-up, made unique by each comedian who tells it in an attempt to fashion the world's dirtiest joke. The cat was finally let out of the bag by Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza, the seasoned funnymen who gathered together a hundred people to tell a hundred different renditions of the bit. Among those presenting their personal take on The Aristocrats in this film of the same name are Jason Alexander, Robin Williams, Gilbert Gottfried, Jon Stewart, Emo Philips, and Chris Rock. The Aristocrats premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Comedian Eddie Griffin delivers a set of his outrageous standup comedy and introduces his fans to the family who helped inspire his work in this documentary. In DysFunKtional Family, Griffin talks about race, sex, cats, dogs, slavery, terrorism, Michael Jackson, and several of the more eccentric members of his family during a sold-out live show. In between bits, Griffin takes us on a tour of his home town of Kansas City, where we get to meet his mother, who has a remarkable enthusiasm for corporal punishment; his uncle, who discusses his remarkable enthusiasm for pornography; and another uncle, who proved to be an invaluable help to Griffin's early career despite his drug habit and career as a pimp. DysFunKtional Family was directed by George Gallo, who previously worked with Griffin on the comedy Double Take. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

For Southern-fried comedy lovers in need of a good chuckle, the best standup performances from the country's hottest rural comics come home in this collection that affords home viewers the best seat in the club. These comic headliners know how to make an audience laugh, and as Jeff Foxworthy, Ron Shock, Bill Engvall, Vic Henley, Gary Mule Deer, and Bobcat Goldthwait, crack-up live audiences with their down-home style, standup comedy lovers will be laughing until the cows come home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Some of the most popular Southern comics in America are captured on-stage as they were rising to fame in this performance video. Redneck Comedy Roundup includes material from three of the stars of the popular movie The Blue Collar Comedy Tour -- Jeff Foxworthy (who launched the whole "redneck comedy" craze in the first place), Bill Engvall (best known for his catch phrase "Here's your sign"), and Ron White (who enjoys extolling the virtues of booze and tobacco on-stage). Redneck Comedy Roundup also includes performances from John Fox, Blake Clark, and Ron Shock. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The greatest names in comedy rocked the house for nine season on HBO - now this amazing collection will rock yours again and again. Too explosive for regular TV, Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam features today's hottest comedians at their wildest and funniest. Whether you're laughing for the first time or catching your raucous favorites, Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam is the ultimate comedy experience - so outrageous that you'll definitely be back for more!

It's a blue collar comedy extravaganza as the biggest names in down home stand-up come together to offer hilarious observations about life beneath the Mason-Dixon line. From Ron White's alcohol-fueled escapades to Otis Lee Crenshaw's unique brand of musical comedy, Vic Henley's unique urban redneck persona, and Steve McGrew tequila-drenched clowning, this southern-flavored laugh-a-thon packs enough comic punch to fill a whole jar of Tennessee hooch. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

With his pointed insights into race relations and culture, Chris Rock became one of the first comedy superstars of the 21st century. This concert video, Never Scared, is his fourth solo performance originally recorded for the cable network HBO. Recorded during a performance in the nation's capital, Rock touches upon such topics as parenthood, celebrities, and the differences between men and women. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

After seven seasons of laughs on television's Saturday Night Live, funnyman Tracy Morgan keeps the chuckles coming with a hilarious, sixty-minute stand-up performance that proves the mastermind behind Astronaut Jones still has what it takes to crack up a crowd. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Working class Blue Collar Comedy Tour veteran Ron White steps on stage at the Starlight Hotel in Las Vegas to offer a unique mix of stand up and sketch comedy in a riotous comedy special that offers everything from dancing showgirls to a special appearance by television self-help guru Dr. Phil. Of course White's unique brand of humor just can't be contained to the stage, and when this funnyman walks out onto the Las Vegas strip to greet the tourists and hassle the locals, viewers will find out just how quick White can be on his toes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Plus-sized funny lady Mo'nique is your hostess for this performance video, which features a handful of leading African-American comics. The Big Black Comedy Show, Vol. 2 features side-splitting standup material from Rodman, Vince Morris, Sexy Marlo, Ralphie May, and others. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide