Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Martin Teller A simple concept but a good one: plan a concert with your favorite musicians and pass out free tickets to random people on the street. Like a 21st century WOODSTOCK, the footage cuts between the performers, backstage banter, the organization of the event, people in the crowd, and interesting characters along the way (like the strange couple with the strange house that the show is right in front of). The looseness of the editing lends to the party atmosphere, and there's a nice inclusive spirit to the proceedings. I'm woefully out of touch with music of the past 10 years, but I had at least a passing familiarity with most of the acts. However, I was most impressed with one I'd never heard of: Dead Prez, a politically-minded hip-hop duo with electrifying lyrics, music and performance skills. I'll definitely be checking out more of them. But all the music is really good (well, I wasn't too crazy about Jill Scott). What the film could have used is a little more Chappelle, a fantastic comedian peeking his head out from an extended bout of self-imposed obscurity after achieving massive popularity with his hilarious sketch show. Considering his name's in the title, I had hoped he would be a bit more present, but what we do see and hear of him is gold, just a naturally funny, easy-going and warm-hearted guy.

jaredmobarak It is very refreshing to see a Michel Gondry film with hardly any descriptive marks to tell you he made it. Besides the opening titles being drawn in bright colors on the fence behind Dave Chappelle and the one instance where we hear Gondry's French accent ask Jill Scott a question, this could be any old concert film. Well, I shouldn't say that…Block Party is definitely a one of a kind, behind the scenes look at a bunch of people giving back to the community and having a real good time doing so. Chappelle says it best early on when discussing why he was putting together this free show in Brooklyn: he was a fan of each artist before he ever met them and this is the concert he'd like to see. I must say, not being the biggest rap/hip-hop fan out there, it is quite the show.Even a total dork rock fan as myself gets goosebumps and understands the amount of talent on stage here. When you have The Roots going with Scott and Eryakah Badu singing backup, it's something special. Not to mention Common and Mos Def rapping with everyone, Dead Prez singing with Chappelle's commentary, Kanye West coming out with the Ohio State University marching band playing Jesus Walks behind him, and the reuniting of The Fugees, the music is top-notch. However, the concert aspect isn't the best part. No, Gondry has spliced in some wonderful nuggets of candid looks, comedic moments, and historical tidbits to enhance the background soundtrack. Being the music video maestro he is, I couldn't think of someone better to portray the true meaning of the show with the event itself, infusing each moment with the heart that went in, cross-cutting stories of the attendees with practice sessions and live performances on the stage without one false move.Chappelle's rapport with everyone is something to see a well. He is self-deprecating and compassionate to all those that cross his path, culling a diverse group of people from his Ohio hometown to join the other fans coming into Brooklyn to watch the stage in front of Broken Angel, the derelict building being restored into something better than it ever was, and Dave's scouting location for any Hollywood film in need of a crack house. That house, however, not only gives us an intriguing venue coupled with the day care center next-door who's manager allowed them to use its roof as a box seat, but also two of the eccentric characters that shape the movie. The elderly couple living in that house is so out-there, yet so real, that you are able to see past the getups and crazed stereotypes you may be thinking of. This is a couple married for 46 years, with quite the story on how they decided to join lives, who don't enjoy rap because of all the swearing and language inappropriate for adults let alone children. Even so, they stick around and partake in the event—while also offering a place for Dave to rest his loins whenever he'd like—as the many others do, including his elderly white shop workers from Ohio and that "one Mexican" who can't be found.The anecdotes and confessionals really shine as they are peppered through the musical acts. The OSU marching band story is great, especially if his accidentally finding them is true, because they are a perfect example for what Chappelle is trying to do. Words from the one musician about how young people must seize their opportunities and how all these famous people are just like him, enjoying the skill and playing of everyone else, really hit home. Also, the band's presence allows for a wonderful coda from Wyclef Jean after a nice solo at the piano. Strong words about how these young kids can't use excuses and blame "the man" for all their troubles hold some meaning in the venue he speaks them in. He says that he came to America not knowing English and he found a way to become a success. If they want to follow they must show the initiative and not hide behind excuses and laziness. You want to learn something and better yourself, go to the library, education is there for the taking if you want it.Besides the message and morals being thrown around, I really just enjoyed the inside look. Hearing what someone like Jill Scott has to say about Badu's effect on her, or Lauryn Hill explaining how The Fugees formed and Pras talking about the differences he and Jean had breaking the group apart, or even the bureaucracy surrounding the reason why the group reformed for the show to begin with—Columbia not giving clearance for Hill to sing her own songs on the film. A lot went into the creation of this historic event and the filmmakers do justice to the end result. You know it's been a success when you can go through the whole review without really touching on the star's comic routine. Chappelle is definitely funny at every turn, cracking some spot on jokes, challenging a fan to a rap dual on stage, and just having a blast as the number one fan out of the whole crowd. Block Party is definitely something to experience.

bob the moo On the 18th September 2004 part of Bed Stuy in Brooklyn was shut off to host one of the biggest block parties hip hop has seen. Organised by Dave Chappelle for those from the area and his own "block" in Ohio. In the drizzling rain the crowd of thousands spend the day listening to music from artists including Blackstar, Kanye West, The Roots, Dead Prez, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Common and others.With a cast list like this I was not going to miss this film and the heavy advert campaign over at OkayPlayer weren't going to let me forget that it existed. Being a fan of pretty much all the artists quoted above, the concert itself would have sold out in seconds had it been advertised in a traditional way and I know I would have been eager to attend. So coming to the film one hopes that the music will be done justice and that this will be what it delivers. Instead the film takes a rather mixed structure which combines performances with interviews, comic asides, Dave trying to organise it and practice sessions. In a way this structure compliments the "block party" concept because the day itself was about a community having fun rather than just a concert. Although this is all well and good, it doesn't really work because these sections don't really work. I love Chappelle's show but here he isn't that funny and most of his jokes are basic and (unfortunately) quite racist and he doesn't add much to the film – credit to him for pulling all this together but he doesn't add much to the delivery here. Likewise the interviews aren't that interesting. We have people being pro-black to the point of racism (Dead Prez) mixed with Wycleff who wisely tells a group of college kids not to excuse their failures by blaming the "white man". Many of the interviews hold the attention on the virtue of who is speaking but nobody says anything that interesting and the film itself doesn't seem to have an approach, message or structure to these parts.They wouldn't have bugged me this much if they hadn't taken up time that should have been devoted to the performances themselves. If you are into this type of music there aren't really any weak links at all because everybody pretty much nails it. Talib Kweli was one of the standouts for me although I am always biased towards him but West was just as good, while Mos Def was also pretty solid. The lack of time for Common was a disappointment as, although this was before "Be", he is still a great rapper and has great material even if Electric Circus (his album of the time) wasn't that well received. The Roots are good as are Fugees, Jill Scott and so on. The complaint I have is not of the quality but of the quantity. Perhaps everyone only did one or two tacks each but by the way day turns to night I doubt it. Given the enormity of the Fugee reunion, were two tracks enough? In fact could we not have done away with the majority of the interviews and made this a full concert film and would it not have been better for it? Overall then, those who dislike the artists will obviously avoid this and rightly so. However fans (like myself) of the artists will of course flock to it and it is a shame that we won't like all of what we see. There is no denying the impressive line-up and the quality of the music but the tracks mostly seem cut short to make room for interviews and contributions that have nowhere near the value of the music they replace. Still worth a look for the quality you know these artists bring but I would have liked more of them and less of Chappelle's sections.

turningworm I REALLY wanted to like this movie, and I guess I'd have to say that I did like it, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. The first 30 minutes when he is in Ohio trying to get people to come to the show were the most entertaining parts. Then they spend an inordinate amount of time exploring the oddness of this old hippie couple who live in this weird house near the stage area. After that it was like watching a party that you wish you were at, because something clearly didn't translate to film. The musical performances were good, but not great. Mos Def delivers a solid performance, but gets 3x as much screen time as everyone else, which seemed odd. Lauryn Hill has this hugely anticipated Fugees reunion only to completely butcher "Killing Me Softly". Jill Scott is awesome, but is singing songs that don't showcase her voice well at all. John Legend barely even plays in the concert. Erykah Badu was fantastic, but... why the wig? Dead Prez did a great show, I wasn't very familiar with them before this. The Roots kick ass, as always. I would suggest renting this when you have some paperwork to do. It makes a good background movie.