Chris Rock: Bigger & Blacker

Chris Rock is the best black-comic genius (besides Eddie Murphy) who really brings some great thought and laughter to the public at large. And I found myself laughing hysterically at it. This time, Rock takes a poke at the Columbine kids, Clinton, Mommy and daddy, the black mall, insurance and women. His takes on all of those things, plus a few other surprises, make this a highly entertaining and funny time to watch (this material though, like his 1997 Bring the Pain, is also controversial so don't think Rock is now pop). A+

I'm not a fan of Chris Rock in general - I never really thought he was that special; on "Saturday Night Live" he annoyed me and his films so far have been pretty pathetic. His racist remarks around last year's Oscar ceremony really p!ssed me off, too - more so than anything else he had done or said in the past.

So I approached this live comedy performance with skepticism. As bad as he may be in films, one of my friends told me he's "great at standup" - so I gave it a shot late last night at three o'clock in the morning on Comedy Central's uncut & unedited "Vault" program.

I was surprised because it was actually pretty funny. It's not brilliant, and certainly not on the same level as Richard Pryor, but it's promising - and shows that Rock is FAR more suited for standup than, say, acting or sketch shows.

If you aren't familiar with Rock's work, check this out. If you hate Rock and haven't seen this, check it out, too. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Be warned, however, that the language is very strong.

I've always looked at stand-up comedians kinda like philosophers ... Cause that's what they do, right? They reflect on life ...

Chris Rock certainly have some MAJOR points in this show... First of all, the whole "Daddy Don't Get Nothing"-thing is brilliant... Not be a chauvinist, I know that real good daddies are becoming more and more of a rarity, but the once that ARE good fathers should be treated as such...

Also the AIDS-thing is a bit conspiracy theory-alike, and well thought of ... I know others have said it before, but maybe a comedian just makes people think more about it than some stuffed up professor at a university no ordinary would want to go to anyways...

But the biggest WOWA from me is when he talks about them kids shooting at school ... The way he just simplifies everything into one word - crazy... Could he ever be more right? Ask yourselves if those kids wouldn't have been just as crazy growing up seeing Facts of Life ?? I sure think so ...

A great philosopher, a great comedian - a brilliant man ...

The summary says it all : This is literally the funniest standup I've ever seen (or heard) in my life, hands down.

I could give snippets of his performance, but that wouldn't do it justice. Just watch it.

The Doug E. Fresh intro perfectly sets the mood for the frantic and energetic Chris Rock. Bigger & Blacker is an HBO production filmed in the Apollo Theater and is brilliant satire from the perspective of an African-American.

Rock lays the smack down on topics such as school violence, gun control, irresponsible parents, neglected fathers, infidelity, bigotry, and the poor state of health care. His assertions are blunt, bold, and are fired from point-blank: "A man is only as faithful as his options", "Men lie but women are much bigger liars", "Blacks and whites have little to complain about, consider the state of Native Americans".

All of Rock's material is solid and most of it is intelligent and thought-provoking. He slips into crudeness only briefly as he suggests that the blind be assigned to midgets instead of seeing-eye dogs and when he mentions his contempt for women that don't provide oral servicing. Also, he picks on white people a little, but it is not really funny like when Richard Pryor teased white people. These minor flaws are certainly not deal breakers. Rock is providing a solid hour of comedy here. He has a superb rapport with his audience and his delivery is very good overall with only a couple instances of repeating himself or otherwise stalling as he gathers his thoughts. This is an adult show and profanity is used liberally, but not quite what I would consider gratuitously. Overall this is a very good show that all fans of stand-up comedy, should consider viewing. Chris Rock deserves to go home to the big piece of chicken (inside joke-watch the show).