I don't have too much reference in stand-up, because I've never seen Eddie Murphy or Richard Pryor (I realize I am missing out and intend to see those VHS or DVD's next). But I can tell you that Bigger and Blacker is the funniest thing I have ever seen. PERIOD.
I've seen "Bring On the Pain", this one, and the new one where he wears a burgundy suit, and this one is definitely the best by far.
Chris Rock isn't silly. He's hilarious because he isn't silly, but smart, spot-on, pointing out all the f*ed up situations in the world. The only thing that dates it is his reference to Ricky Martin's "La Vida Loca" but that was a really big song back in the day.
His insight on women is uncanny, almost as much as it is hilarious. I couldn't believe someone put into words so well how we want our men to ask us the correct questions that will allow us to run our %$@ mouths. He also said how women always say they need to talk as a couple, but "oh, NO, they don't want YOU to talk. They want you to LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!!"
As someone else previously posted, he talks about the $$ being in the medicine not the cure, a sad truth.
I guess with any stand-up, it's about the delivery. There's this one part when he talks about how The Jerry Lewis Telethon is the same dismal atmosphere every year and the kids still look miserable. I couldn't stop laughing at the way he said. "Do SOMETHIN'! Prop a stick under the kid. LIE TO ME, JERRY!! LIE!" And then talks about how all the $ must go to keeping his hair black, because "Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Dean, Dean Martin, all dead, and Jerry Lewis has a full head of black hair!" LOLOL I can't rave any more about this, because you have to see it to really laugh!
