There is a very good reason why Dave Chappelle got Comedy Central to cough up $50 million. There is also a very good reason why the DVDs of his show are some of the highest selling DVDs of all time. The man is funny as hell. Back in 2004, after he became the 50 Million Dollar Man and before everything went so horribly wrong, Dave decided to celebrate his success with a good old fashioned Block Party. The film chronicles the concert from the invitations all the way through the concert’s triumphant end.

Dave, who lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio, outside of Dayton, walks Willy Wonka style through his hometown dispensing golden tickets to unsuspecting townspeople. Without telling them exactly what’s going on, the tickets entitle them to a bus trip to New York City and overnight accommodations. He even invites the entire Central State University Marching Band (who later get to perform with Kanye West). Once in New York, he sets out to coordinate the proceedings in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn securing the space for the show, visiting a day care and of course, interacting with people.

As critical as Dave and all of the music acts are it’s the people he interacts with that add a realism to the whole experience. Dave eagerly wants everyone to have a good time and they do. Black, white, old, young, Ohioans and New Yorkers, all feed off of Dave’s positive vibe and respond in kind.

Fans of Dave Chappelle will enjoy the Block Party. Dave has the ability to turn almost anything into a joke and it works. Whether it’s kids in a day care (where the Notorious B.I.G is an alum) to shopping for pimp clothes, there is no question that Dave Chappelle is a gifted comedian.

Fans of hip-hop and Dave Chappelle will love this movie even more. Dave handpicked some of the most talented rappers and singers and allowed them to do what they do best. Standout performances for me would be Kanye West and the CSU band, Mos Def, The Roots, Erykah Badu and her badass afro wig and of course, Jill Scott. Of course all the buzz was around the Fugees reuniting but I wish there had been more of them for all of the hype.

At times, the movie meanders and rambles along, but honestly, you’ll probably be too busy laughing and bobbing your head to notice or even care.