Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer

Upon seeing Dave Chappell had a new special out, I was admittedly pumped. I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not a huge fan. I've seen everyone of his specials more than once. This however, isn't close to being near the classic Dave Chappell standard we've come to expect. It started strong but fades pretty quick, that the sixteenth minute I'm constantly clicking to see how long is left so I can get through it. His joke telling in this is kinda lazier, and he's usually pretty poignant but here it seemed uninspired. This is almost feels like a quick cash grab. I'm not saying Dave is losing a step. I still think he's probably the GOAT. This one just isn't is his best. Skip it, and keep going.

Fortunately for comedy, The Dreamer and Chappelle once again go out of their way to prove no one deserves special treatment or should be off limits from being the recipient of a joke. Unfortunately for us, Dave spends a large chunk of this special for 'story time with Dave' rather than focusing on the laughs. The setups for many punchlines are often too stretched and segue into other life stories.

Preachy Dave is back, going on a long-winded and somewhat incoherent set of stories from Russian Mobsters to Lil Nas X. The ending of the special really ruined an otherwise typical set for Chapelle. It came off as a self-absorbed sermon devoid of humor. Chapelle is one of the GOATs, and it's disheartening to see him feel the need to flaunt such borderline narcissistic behavior.

I hope Dave can get back focused on his next special. Give us a comedian doing an hour of comedy ravaging everyone and everything, not a pastor preaching a life full of dreams.

In general this was an ok set by Chappelle, maybe a bit half-hearted and repetitive but still better than most of the garbage out there that passes for stand-up comedy.

But then it came to the finale, a 15-minute bit about... errr... not sure what exactly? Dreams? Being a dreamer? Something about Russian mobsters and Lil Nas X? Where was he even going with this?

Turns out it was nothing more than a self-aggrandizing monologue that lacked humour and humility. He really seems to have developed something of a God complex and his shows are suffering for it.

It's a pretty spectacular drop from being arguably the best in the world at his profession to this. Like I say, it's still better than most comedy but, by the standards he has set, this is a huge fall in grace.

A Dave Chappelle stand-up comedy special, recorded in 2023 at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC. Chappelle reminisces about his start in comedy and the importance of having a dream. The Will Smith-Chris Rock incident also gets a mention.

If you know Dave Chappelle's comedy and his stand-up specials you know what to expect: un-PC, unfiltered, irreverent and nobody and nothing is above being the subject of a joke. This is no different as he boldly goes where no comedian has gone before.

Not laugh-a-minute, and his routines rarely are. He generally sets up the joke with a seemingly innocuous story before delivering a powerful punchline.

This is a bit more serious than normal as there are parts that are more thought-provoking and profound than funny.

His worst specials are where he tries too hard to be provocative, with his lines delivered for shock value more than for genuine laughs. Thankfully there's nothing like that here as his routine is quite smooth and unforced.

Great show.

"You need to be wise enough to realise you are living in your dream.

And you need to be humble enough to know when you are in someone else's dream."

One of the weakest Dave Chappelle specials. But it doesn't mean that it's bad. It's still pretty good. Dave shares some nice stories with the audience. The final segment about dreamers was quite good, and a bit dark also.

But Dave doesn't dive deep into politics and there isn't much profoundness in his comedy here that can be found in his other specials. Mostly plays it safe. But he still does a fair share of jokes that will surely get this special some attention from the easily offended group of people (not the handicapped guys). But as a fan who considers Dave Chappelle to be a legend, this was a bit underwhelming.

"That's what men do.

Men make boundaries.

Men enforce boundaries.

Men test boundaries."