Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth - Live at the Fillmore DVD: Review By Mushy

Dave Chappelle - For What It's Worth just didn't make me laugh as much I had hoped it would. He seemed to be getting really big. His show was doing so well, his star was on the rise, then I saw this comedy special and suddenly Chappelle has jumped off the radar. Now, he's hanging out in South Africa trying to get things right in his own mind or something, and supposedly his show has been canceled. If this performance is any indication, it seems like Chappelle might have started to "believe the hype" and in doing so couldn't look at his work objectively.

There were some funny moments here, like when he talks about celebrities talking about world events. I even liked what he said about Bill Cosby's recent statements toward the black community. Chappelle reminds us that Cosby grew up in the projects and every so often he's gonna say "some real" stuff. Sadly, the good moments were just too far and few between. If I could offer up my advice, I would tell Mr. Chappelle to take some time off, start doing standup tours again and then resume his groundbreaking show. While I can't even comprehend the $50 million dollar pressure he must've been under, he really is a very talented person who has some unique and interesting takes on our world.

Left of Center - Mini Moments with Dave

This is a piece that looks at Chappelle offstage and truthfully he doesn't seem comfortable. Sure he is funny in spots but a lot of that comedy seems to happen when he isn't trying to be make us laugh. It's weird but it seems like his life situation was really starting to creep into his work, and as a result it started showing in everything that he did. There is comedy in these moments but I think they are more personally revealing than anything else.

Widescreen Anamorphic - 1.78:1. Okay, a guy on stage holding a microphone can only be lit and shot in so many ways, right? The look of this show is actually a bit crisper than when I originally saw it back when it aired on cable. This probably has something to do with the DVD compression, right? Chappelle seems reserved here. I hate to keep coming back to his personal life effecting his professional life but I am sorry, this just seems to be the case. While I don't think this special is his best work, it does look really good.

Dolby Digital 5.1. This being a comedy show the sound should be top notch because the audio quality of Chappelle's voice is everything, right? If we can't hear that or if there are any problems with it, then the show as a whole just won't work. Thankfully, the creators of this DVD had all their proverbial ducks in a row and as a result, Chappelle sounds perfect. Over the course of this comedy special, he eventually seemed to find his groove, sadly it just took him a very long time to get there.

Dave Chappelle is featured here with the cityscape of San Francisco behind him. The back features a decent description of the show, a listing of the extras and some technical specs. Overall, this is very simple packaging but since all this is is someone doing a comedy show, I don't think that the manufacturers of this DVD really need to go overboard right? Also, the price of the DVD is very reasonable and while it isn't Chappelle's greatest performance, collectors of his stuff will certainly want to count this among their collectibles.

I remember sitting through this entire show waiting for it to get really funny. Waiting to laugh because Chappelle has made me laugh before. The material he used for this show seemed almost too political. As if he has made such a big deal about not being political, yet he has solid political insights that he 's lost his common ground. I haven't seen much of his other comedy shows or even his Comedy Central show, but to people just finding out about him now, I'd say don't start with this DVD.

Chappelle is a man with something to say. Here's hoping he works the things he needs to out and can return to enjoying what he loves again.