Katt Williams: Priceless opens with the lights dimming and the announcer introducing Katt Williams before a sold-out crowd at The Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, and Williams running out on stage in a heavy white-robe. He runs around the stage, in what looks to be a type of unsubtle clown shoe, before standing in front of the mic, bathed completely in sweat, and letting his high-pitched voice echo through the arena. It's definitely Katt and this is definitely one of his shows.
Williams hits the ground running, hit bases from women, marijuana dispensaries, the differences between black and white people, the reason why we should put those differences aside and come together in unison, and his difficulties with the law, in just under an hour. More surprising is how he manages to develop the aforementioned topics and give them his own sense of life and memorability.
For example, he comments on his frequent arrests and legal issues by saying, "anything you standing next to Suge Knight and you go to jail, something is f***** up!" Williams explores the idea of "American Exceptionalism" in a delightfully informal manner by saying, "American don't give a f*** about tragedy; we the s***," illustrating about how we put our issues, good and bad, before other countries. In addition, Williams describes how "we all need each other, f*** the dumb s***," which has been my philosophy for years now. "We all need to be able to laugh, f*** the dumb s***," he says when talking about the need for comedians and performers in the world. He states how you have to believe in something when it comes to the religion and ideas bigger than you are, and it's those ideas that will free your mind and you keep you from teetering over the line of insanity. For a comedian who comments about the woman who swam the Atlantic Ocean by saying, "she swam the ocean by. Her. Motherf******. Self. With sharks and whatever the f*** else is in there, and they ain't giving this bitch s***," these are surprisingly existential, philosophical undertones.
But such is Priceless, a fantastic comedy special which, in under an hour, provides for more belly-laughs than most two hour comedies do. The film was directed by Spike Lee, who, with another comedy special to be released on HBO in October 2014, seems to be taking his love for performers and funny-men to pleasantly surprising directorial credits, takes a backseat with his affinity for editing and directorial aesthetics by remaining pretty basic with the structure of Katt Williams: Priceless. Unlike Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, his fantastic HBO special, which showed the titular boxer performing his one-man show, where Lee added a great deal of stylistically-potent editing to the show, Lee remains pretty passive and not interfering with Williams' performances by including any directorial flair.
Even without Lee's style, Williams thoroughly owns his performance, making Priceless a rousing good time, leaving off with an amazing and uncompromising piece of advice and dedication. Williams states, amid a fast-talking conclusion to the show, "this is for the motherf****** that can't be bought and can be taught."
NOTE: Katt Williams: Priceless will air throughout the month of September 2014 on HBO.
Directed by: Spike Lee.
