Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly

I'm a huge fan of Dave Chappelle so of course I loved this HBO special.This stand up special was released right in between Dave's two most iconic comedies,Half Baked and Chappelle's Show,so he wasn't as big as he is now.First,the good,Dave covers a lot of topics,ranging from Sesame Street to the police.Dave's delivery and timing is perfect,his physical performance is good,and his vocals are amazing.As always(except maybe Half Baked),Chappelle makes great jokes about the differences between races and our cultures.Dave also feels like a real person,he laughs at his own jokes at times and even high fives audience members.He also has some political humor and jokes about the differences between men and women,some of it may feel outdated by today's standards,but this special did come out in 2000.Now,the bad,I loved this special,but it does have one flaw,it doesn't matter that much,but the second half feels a bit outdated and is nowhere near as laugh out loud funny as the first half.All in all,Killin' Them Softly is hilarious and still culturally relevant,but it slightly suffers from a kind of weak second half.

Dave Chappelle is funny -- Not funny like Richard Pryor, or Eddie Murphy, or Redd Fox. But funny like Dave Chappelle. The guy has a certain genius to the comedy he does, while at the same time letting it all hang out, tickling every funny bone in my body! "Killin' Them Softly" is the funniest stand-up comedy performance I've seen in years! And Chappelle is one of the funniest comedians, who'll be around for years!! FUNNY-FUNNY-FUNNY!!!

A Dave Chappelle stand-up comedy performance from Washington, DC.

Incredibly clever, subversive and irreverent and delivered with Dave Chappelle's incredible sense of timing and range of voices, this is stand-up comedy at its finest. Might well be the funniest comedy performance I've seen - only Robin Williams comes close.

Three years later Dave Chappelle turned his clever, racially-focused wit into a series, with Chappelle's Show. There he had even more room to demonstrate his talents, as he mixed stand up with set-orientated skits. Chappelle's Show turned out to be one of the funniest TV series of all time.

After multiple appearances with Comic Relief and a half hour special on HBO, Dave Chappelle returns to his hometown of Washington, D.C., to tape his first hour-long special. He spends the bulk of the time exploring racial differences and making cultural observations, with a smattering of political humour. Chappelle manages to navigate some sensitive material with a disarming charisma. He's not breaking any new ground for black comedians here, but he manages to make it seem fresh with his effortless charm. Some jokes (like the ones featuring the out-of-place baby) illustrate Chappelle's ability to paint a picture with words and gives a few clues into what it was that made his show so popular. The political bits and the casual sexism will make this feel a little dated, but there is enough here to appeal to a newer audience.

From the looks of it, I would say despite Dave Chapelle's impressive movie career, he's been a stand-up comedian for quite some time now. Because when I saw this comedy special, I laughed really hard. Here, he discusses kids, the presidency, girls and some other miscellaneous things. He is also very poignant in his comedy delivery. This is one of the best comedy specials of the year, and it is from a guy who I never knew was a comedian (but hey, I thought the same of Denis Leary). So good job Chappelle, because you are funny. A+