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Dave Chappelle - The Closer

Started by up_the_hampipe, October 04, 2021, 04:14:35 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

up_the_hampipe

The sixth Netflix special for Chappelle is out tomorrow, so be prepared for a lot of articles in the coming days about the problematic nature of the material. I'm sure there will be several topics retread, and the jokes will be more and more tactless. Still, it'll probably be quite funny.

Teaser using a quote from his previous special that suggests it'll indeed be more of the same https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T59ij-vlNAE
Trailer with Morgan Freeman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1UEj_6T1RE

Dusty Substance


Ten minutes in and it's already a billion times funnier than Bo Burnham's Inside.

thugler

Have enjoyed his netflix stuff mostly. But he's so wildly talking utter shit with the trans stuff. Just bizarre 'one form of oppression is more important than the other' stuff. He's an old bigot who's not willing to admit he's wrong. Puts me off watching it a bit.

bgmnts

Yeah times sort of moving on and these old timers just need to be sort of put in the old people's home now and cared for.

PlanktonSideburns


Dusty Substance


The "For Norm" dedication at the end made me cry.

Ornlu

Quote from: Dusty Substance on October 06, 2021, 10:39:14 PM
The "For Norm" dedication at the end made me cry.

This reminded me of Tom Davis's character on the Partridge Open Books thing.

Good special though. Got to admit he's a fearless motherfucker.

madhair60

I like Dave Chappelle. I've enjoyed his previous sets, even when they were deeply problematic at times. He found ways to make it funny. I didn't find a lot to enjoy in this one at all.

The trans material isn't even remotely funny, or even recognisable as comedy in the way it's presented. This isn't me being a prude or whatever; he's done trans material before that registered as humorous, but this? It turned into a polemic; essentially "stop finding rich people accountable for their bigotry". Nah, Dave, mate.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: madhair60 on October 06, 2021, 11:55:33 PM
I like Dave Chappelle. I've enjoyed his previous sets, even when they were deeply problematic at times. He found ways to make it funny. I didn't find a lot to enjoy in this one at all.

The trans material isn't even remotely funny, or even recognisable as comedy in the way it's presented. This isn't me being a prude or whatever; he's done trans material before that registered as humorous, but this? It turned into a polemic; essentially "stop finding rich people accountable for their bigotry". Nah, Dave, mate.

That's basically how I felt about it too. The big difference this time is that the whole special was supposed to be him explaining himself, putting all the jokes he made in previous specials into a larger context, but it turns out that context is... he's a TERF.

The story about Daphne Dorman feels pretty exploitative. Using a jumbled up version of the events surrounding her suicide to make a point about 'cancel culture', and repeatedly emphasising her adoration for him as the reason why he mustn't really be transphobic, which ends up sounding similar to saying "I'm not racist, I have a black friend." Still, lots of people have fallen for it, he'll have unwavering fans defending him no matter what he says. Sort of getting Trump-ish, isn't it?

Noodle Lizard

Glad I'm not alone in finding this weak. I think with all six(?) of the Netflix specials, there were maybe two specials' worth of quality material. A lot of it feels like the kind of stuff that might be tossed off on a weekly podcast by someone like Bill Burr. There's really not much depth to a lot of it (with some exceptions), but everyone seems to lose their mind over whatever he puts out - at least for the subsequent week or two. That dissonance was especially apparent in this latest special - I think some of these bits would've attracted outright groans coming from anyone with less prestige. More than anything else, it just felt mechanical. I can't imagine much more thought went into it than looking up a few recent news stories and running to the first applause-baiting punchline, but honestly most of those punchlines had already been made. It's tough for comedians to keep up with the internet, so it really requires a degree of insight and contemplation that I'm not sure Chappelle's bothering with anymore. After all, why would you? You know everyone gives you an unusual benefit of the doubt, and you're being paid $20m regardless. He's far from the first person to phone it in a bit in that position.

madhair60

even stuff that's recognisably a joke like
Spoiler alert
beyond pussy, impossible pussy
[close]
doesn't land (despite being funny turns of phrase) because the context is now direct unabashed bigotry. it's like how Louis CK's creepazoid routine no longer works because... that's him.

chveik

Quote from: Ornlu on October 06, 2021, 11:23:11 PM
Got to admit he's a fearless motherfucker.

the kind of fearlessness exhibited by people like ricky gervais. there's nothing brave about a rich man having outdated, shitty opinions while slowly losing the rest of wit he used to have

Fry

Yeah I was disappointed too. I was slightly put off at first when I first heard the trailer to it on netflix and it had Dave talking in hushed tones about how being a comedian means being brave and saying the unsayable and whatever. I know he probably had nothing to do with the production of  that trailer but it made him seem unbelievably pretentious.

All in all it did seem a bit half-arsed. Some funny lines, deliveries and turns of phrase and shit, as always. But this is Dave Chappelle thats the least you can expect. Indicative of the half-arsedness is the fact he did a large chunk of the show about trans people and trans rights, but was seemingly ignorant about some of the basic terminology and arguments (about sex / gender for example). I mean, yeah its not a Ted Talk its a comedy show but it is noticeable and took it hard to accept his "this is me explaining my sincere views" angle at face value.

One thing that stuck out to me was how, at the beginning of the show, he was talking about watching black people beat up asian people and feeling upset. Then a bit later he had with long stretches where he talks about "communities" at length, then he talks about forgiveness and accepting people point of view.

Then with 0 sense of irony makes a few massive generalisations about the LGBTQ community. Their whiteness (as if there are only white lgbtq people), their privilege and how the bad reaction of some means their movement is over. I cant believe he missed the obvious connections within his own act like that. Shows a lack of insight id never seen from Chappelle before.

H-O-W-L

Any vague appreciation I had of Chappelle evaporated in an instant with this. What a fucking rotter.

H-O-W-L

Quote from: Fry on October 07, 2021, 02:32:45 AM
Then with 0 sense of irony makes a few massive generalisations about the LGBTQ community. Their whiteness (as if there are only white lgbtq people), their privilege and how the bad reaction of some means their movement is over. I cant believe he missed the obvious connections within his own act like that. Shows a lack of insight id never seen from Chappelle before.

This is my fucking problem, the stupid daft bastard just can't seem to understand that oppression is not a fucking competition, and he speaks as if all LGBTQ+ people are like, the embodiment of the right wing stereotype of all being sheltered, side-shaved middle-class tech workers in San Francisco who're just "complaining about nothing". It's absolutely baffling. Complete lack of self-awareness, or world awareness. I guess getting old and rich ruins them all.

peanutbutter

I think around the time he appeared on Netflix it was pretty understandable that he would have the attitudes he did and a kind of suspicion towards the increased prominence in discourse around things like trans rights when it felt like there was close to fuck all of a lasting response to things like Ferguson. He seemed like someone who was capable of some level of growth from where he was at too so there was a sense he might move on.

but like, he's really had zero growth of any kind as a performer since then and he's doubled down on bullshit to a ridiculous level. There's fuck all incentive to sway him away from it and obviously his instincts are to assume his gut feelings are correct and double down so I don't see any of it getting any better. He might eventually get to a point where everyone's fed up of him but I'd say he's too far gone for that with a lot of this stuff.

Quote from: H-O-W-L on October 07, 2021, 02:49:58 AM
and he speaks as if all LGBTQ+ people are like, the embodiment of the right wing stereotype of all being sheltered, side-shaved middle-class tech workers in San Francisco who're just "complaining about nothing". It's absolutely baffling. Complete lack of self-awareness, or world awareness. I guess getting old and rich ruins them all.
These are probably the only ones that come near his sphere these days, what with his $150 tickets for work in progress shows.

#16
Quote from: up_the_hampipe on October 07, 2021, 12:14:08 AMThe story about Daphne Dorman feels pretty exploitative.

Yeah, the mask slipped for a second and you could see the shame on his face when he was trying to sell us on that one.
Starting that trust fund, putting his money where his mouth was, liars bank plc.
Some weaselly cunt trying to convince himself and other people that he's really a misunderstood saint and not a bigot at all! Nowt brave or fearless about that. Pathetic.

Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse

Reading a review of this... show on NPR tells me he did a joke about humans who leave Earth and return determined to conquer it and the punchline was "Space Jews".

Can we make him and David Baddiel fight?

The Mollusk


madhair60

Quote from: chveik on October 07, 2021, 02:21:28 AM
the kind of fearlessness exhibited by people like ricky gervais. there's nothing brave about a rich man having outdated, shitty opinions while slowly losing the rest of wit he used to have

this idea that it's somehow fearless for a multi millionaire superstar comedian to punch down at vulnerable minorities will never not confuse me

Dr Rock


Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse

Quote from: madhair60 on October 07, 2021, 09:59:53 AM
this idea that it's somehow fearless for a multi millionaire superstar comedian to punch down at vulnerable minorities will never not confuse me
no no you see it's fine because he's black, and the LGBT Agenda is picking on black comedians, you can be either black or LGBT, you can't be both, and only white women got raped by famous rich guys and why aren't they doing something to lift up poor women instead of hashtagging metoo, now to say something outrageous about Jews because they're all wealthy and white

RicoMNKN

I'd find it hard to sum up what point he was even trying to make with the trans stuff. It doesn't really feel like he's particularly looked into the subject, and just wanted to defend making dated dick jokes rather than actually be a TERF.

It is interesting to see what comedians of that generation choose to do about their 'ironic' bigotry material.  Personally I prefer it when they address it in some way (eg Bo Burnham) rather than double down on cancel culture being the problem and continue with the old shtick.  The "I'm going all the way" stuff was particularly cringe-worthy, and reminded me of Daniel Kitson's line "Ooh it's dangerous and edgy. Is it? Wouldn't it be better if it was just good?"

Assuming he genuinely believes that he is treating trans people as an equal and "not punching down", the whooping at mention of the texas bathroom bill should give him pause for thought, surely?

There was some stuff to like in it.  But, yeah, weird and disappointing.

Fry

Thinking a bit more about it, the ending segment is even more fucked up than it seems on the surface. He talks about this one trans friend at length, praising this person as having levels of fearlessness and resilience to negative situations that even he, a veteran comic, was shocked by. This one in a million woman, who has such levels of depth and strength that even David Chappelle was impressed by, is the model that every single trans person must follow to earn respect.

This is a little bit before disclosing this person ended up fucking killing themselves anyway! Considering what trans activists say about suicide rates amongst the trans community, the fact that this person of preternatural strength of will (yet still the standard all trans people must rise to) still ended up killing themselves doesn't give you a second to pause for thought? I know he made a half hearted link to twitter as being the cause but even he didn't even really seem to believe that. Jesus Dave.

Dr Rock

His muddled end segment was 'I'll stop telling transphobic jokes when you stop attacking me for being a comedian.'

Because comedians are a persecuted minority, like trans people, yeah? He hadn't thought any of this through or was so high on his own farts it made sense to him.

The Mollusk

"Why can't I be appalling" asks privileged rich person with huge platform.

"What is unreasonable about that proposal?"

Malcy


MojoJojo


Dr Rock


Petey Pate

Not watched it but it sounds a lot like Gervais' special which mostly consisted of him defending things that he'd said on Twitter, as opposed to actually saying anything funny.