I think his best and funniest work since "Bigger and Blacker". While many probably tuned in to hear his take on the Will Smith Oscar's slap, the special is so much more than that. It is cutting edge, smart, and funny. He talks about the state of woeness and raising kids, and he does end with his very vitriolic and funny account of the slap heard around the world. I have found many of Chris Rock's specials in the last years to be very inconsistent. They are filled with some very funny moments, but not enough to make the special great. Not tru of this one. It is a tight, funny, and thought provoking 70 minutes of comedy. I applaud him for his honesty and his sense of humor.
135 Reviews
Chris rock's Will's world.
st-shot9 March 2023
Chris Rock's latest stand-up comedy special made you wait before he took aim at the elephant in the room and gave him both barrels. The much anticipated special after the Oscars debacle last year in which Will Smith assaulted Rock before millions throughout the world went after other targets (corporate virtue signaling, yoga pants, abortion, White men, Disneyland, daughter Lola) as well but he saved most of his venom for Smith. It is a brutal take down and he does not let up for a second as he deconstructs the celebrity couple with some heavy hitting in comic fashion and it is devastating. He pulls no punches as he masterfully jabs then crushes him with uppercuts. Payback is indeed what they say it is here and Rock emphasizes that point.
Slightly over an hour in length, there are some slow drawn out moments not worth the payoff and face it, Rock is no longer the sassy kid on stage, his delivery a touch slowed down from the past but he does re-energize when dealing with Will and wife, deftly proving the pen is mightier than the sword as his career soars and Will's wounded one looks to a nebulous future.
Slightly over an hour in length, there are some slow drawn out moments not worth the payoff and face it, Rock is no longer the sassy kid on stage, his delivery a touch slowed down from the past but he does re-energize when dealing with Will and wife, deftly proving the pen is mightier than the sword as his career soars and Will's wounded one looks to a nebulous future.
Chris Rock isn't the Rock
timteo6 March 2023
Thank you Netflix for giving us this special!! It was all over the news and highly anticipated; so my expectations were pretty high. Finally got to tune in this evening in Australia and was not disappointed. I don't usually watch Chris rock's standups but will have to check them our after this. I am a huge fan of Dave Chapelle and I can see why they're great friends.
Selective outrage touches on the current issues of "attention seeking" behaviour and smartly approaches sensitive topics using references to popular culture. I don't want to reveal too much and leave it to your own judgement upon viewing!
Just a heads up that there are comments that aren't politically correct, vulgarities and moments gasp worthy- so if you don't like content as such, please give this a miss. I don't want another good comedian to be cancelled so do stay away. But for those looking for someone to tell it like it is, honesty (even if you don't agree) and a good laugh, then this is for you!
And of course, the others who just want to hear about the will smith incident, you can stay till the very end. It's worth it!
Thank you Chris rock for not victimising yourself and coming out stronger by using humour to deal with your difficult experience and fuel it for your career!
Selective outrage touches on the current issues of "attention seeking" behaviour and smartly approaches sensitive topics using references to popular culture. I don't want to reveal too much and leave it to your own judgement upon viewing!
Just a heads up that there are comments that aren't politically correct, vulgarities and moments gasp worthy- so if you don't like content as such, please give this a miss. I don't want another good comedian to be cancelled so do stay away. But for those looking for someone to tell it like it is, honesty (even if you don't agree) and a good laugh, then this is for you!
And of course, the others who just want to hear about the will smith incident, you can stay till the very end. It's worth it!
Thank you Chris rock for not victimising yourself and coming out stronger by using humour to deal with your difficult experience and fuel it for your career!
Poor Special Relying On Crude On The Nose "Jokes"
sumtim3s00n7 March 2023
And I love Raw or Delirious from Murphy and similar. Crudeness,vulgarity doesnt offend me, nothing political or anything does if its funny.
This is not funny. It is similar in many ways to the last Marlon Wayans special. Its all on making the punchlines based on lots of yelling and physicality and being extremely vulgar, often telling long stories or his political commentary without a "joke" or any attempts of funny in sight. Only yelling and ranting. You can see people in the crowd being uncomfortable, barely anyone truly laughing.
Perhaps this works with drunken college crowds unable to understand anything more complicated but in general its just plain lame. None of his "jokes" are even close to the likes of Hedberg, Bo, Burr, Black etc... where theyre written smart, witty and structured intelligently to catch you unprepared. Jokes work best with contrasts, with original observations, with surprise.
This special is nothing but on the nose quasi-jokes, lots of vulgarity without being funny, lots of unnecessary yelling and him trying to provoke people into laughing by going into various extremes.
But there is nothing intelligent, quality funny or original here. Sad lame special for which he'll be payed millions while there are so many better comics out there being overlooked for promoters easy pay days of this nonsense.
This is not funny. It is similar in many ways to the last Marlon Wayans special. Its all on making the punchlines based on lots of yelling and physicality and being extremely vulgar, often telling long stories or his political commentary without a "joke" or any attempts of funny in sight. Only yelling and ranting. You can see people in the crowd being uncomfortable, barely anyone truly laughing.
Perhaps this works with drunken college crowds unable to understand anything more complicated but in general its just plain lame. None of his "jokes" are even close to the likes of Hedberg, Bo, Burr, Black etc... where theyre written smart, witty and structured intelligently to catch you unprepared. Jokes work best with contrasts, with original observations, with surprise.
This special is nothing but on the nose quasi-jokes, lots of vulgarity without being funny, lots of unnecessary yelling and him trying to provoke people into laughing by going into various extremes.
But there is nothing intelligent, quality funny or original here. Sad lame special for which he'll be payed millions while there are so many better comics out there being overlooked for promoters easy pay days of this nonsense.
Rock 'n' Rhetoric
ThurstonHunger22 March 2023
Are you at a college where Rhetoric is a major? Looking for something different to analyze? I recommend this.
It's an oration that Rock would rather not *have* to deliver. But he pretty much had to do something, and as was the case with the original stupid slap, he was obliged to do it in the bright shining public eye. There is an alignment in timing, and the live nature of it.
The alignment of this special was like celebrating the anniversary of a divorce. No matter how much fun ensues, there is a bitter failure at the core. That heckler at the beginning definitely made my stomach sink for a second, I'm betting the security budge was 5X the typical.
So Rock circles around the counter-Slap, lofting punchlines at today's dumb-founding easy dummy, call it woke-ness or privilege or hypersensitivity. And the Royals get roasted (talk about an old school topic, good since the Tea Party days, and I'm not talking about Sarah Palin.
Through-out the repetition of "Don't want to upset any rappers" teases along the audience towards the inexorable conclusion, and brings the audience further to Chris' side with a wink.
There is some classic, "I've come not to praise Caesar, but bury him" - switching those verbs around. And to a point, Rock keeps Will Smith's wife's name out of his mouth.
But the syllogism Rock builds up is about family, not just how Chris was raised right as he says at the end, but he builds up the ethos of his Mom with a poignant tale of racism and dentistry. Along with that, Rock's other disclosure is his proud parenting coming while denying his daughter privilege. A secret apparently kept from that daughter and his ex-wife until they watched the special. Ouch?
Anyways the syllogism my family is better than your family, so I am better than you, that to me was the slap-back. More so than the Rock line about fighting in front of white people, more so than "everybody says s/he's a beeach."
Your house is in disorder, and mine (even with a divorced wife, who I respect but don't kowtow too) is in order.
A lot of other work went into spinning the Rock family standard over Smith/etc. Even the praise of older women on Rock's dating apps was sort of connected I believe.
Anyways, I do think Rhetoric students, a splendid five-page paper could be derived from this, if not an actual senior thesis.
If you have to choose between Chris Rock in his full-white outfit here versus Demosthenes in his dusty old toga, both fighting for their public lives, Rock definitely has better material.
It's an oration that Rock would rather not *have* to deliver. But he pretty much had to do something, and as was the case with the original stupid slap, he was obliged to do it in the bright shining public eye. There is an alignment in timing, and the live nature of it.
The alignment of this special was like celebrating the anniversary of a divorce. No matter how much fun ensues, there is a bitter failure at the core. That heckler at the beginning definitely made my stomach sink for a second, I'm betting the security budge was 5X the typical.
So Rock circles around the counter-Slap, lofting punchlines at today's dumb-founding easy dummy, call it woke-ness or privilege or hypersensitivity. And the Royals get roasted (talk about an old school topic, good since the Tea Party days, and I'm not talking about Sarah Palin.
Through-out the repetition of "Don't want to upset any rappers" teases along the audience towards the inexorable conclusion, and brings the audience further to Chris' side with a wink.
There is some classic, "I've come not to praise Caesar, but bury him" - switching those verbs around. And to a point, Rock keeps Will Smith's wife's name out of his mouth.
But the syllogism Rock builds up is about family, not just how Chris was raised right as he says at the end, but he builds up the ethos of his Mom with a poignant tale of racism and dentistry. Along with that, Rock's other disclosure is his proud parenting coming while denying his daughter privilege. A secret apparently kept from that daughter and his ex-wife until they watched the special. Ouch?
Anyways the syllogism my family is better than your family, so I am better than you, that to me was the slap-back. More so than the Rock line about fighting in front of white people, more so than "everybody says s/he's a beeach."
Your house is in disorder, and mine (even with a divorced wife, who I respect but don't kowtow too) is in order.
A lot of other work went into spinning the Rock family standard over Smith/etc. Even the praise of older women on Rock's dating apps was sort of connected I believe.
Anyways, I do think Rhetoric students, a splendid five-page paper could be derived from this, if not an actual senior thesis.
If you have to choose between Chris Rock in his full-white outfit here versus Demosthenes in his dusty old toga, both fighting for their public lives, Rock definitely has better material.
At times a little crass, but certainly better than a slap in the face.
devonglide-110 March 2023
The humor hits about 50 percent of the time. Most hinge on the color of one's skin, crudeness and occasionally wit. Rock's delivery is very 'shouty', but I think that might be his style.
Unsurprisingly, most the jokes are political, and while political jokes can be funny, they feel a bit dated. Maybe if this was released 5 years ago it would have hit a bit harder. Also, perhaps related to the age, it feels like a lot of the jokes are borrowed (or maybe he's re-telling his old jokes). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he's stealing jokes, and I'm not big into comedy, yet even to me many of them sounded familiar.
Would I recommend it? Ya, it's pretty funny, just a little crass for my liking.
Unsurprisingly, most the jokes are political, and while political jokes can be funny, they feel a bit dated. Maybe if this was released 5 years ago it would have hit a bit harder. Also, perhaps related to the age, it feels like a lot of the jokes are borrowed (or maybe he's re-telling his old jokes). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he's stealing jokes, and I'm not big into comedy, yet even to me many of them sounded familiar.
Would I recommend it? Ya, it's pretty funny, just a little crass for my liking.
Rock Kicks Ass
billcr128 March 2023
Revenge is sweet as Chris Rock tears apart Will Smith in the last few minutes of this Netflix live comedy special. Just that alone makes it worth the watch. I was disgusted by the actions of Mr. Smith and Rock uses the real life marriage situation to point out that Will should be more angry at his wife's admitted affair than at a joke that Rock made that night at the Oscars.
The parts about his daughters growing up rich and spoiled and attending private schools with white kids also was excellent material.
A portion on his mother growing up in the segregated South where Blacks were not allowed to be treated by white dentists was the most personal and poignant moment of the show.
George Carlin will always be my #1 comedian but Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are my current favorites.
Selective Outrage provides the best medicine for us all, laughter.
The parts about his daughters growing up rich and spoiled and attending private schools with white kids also was excellent material.
A portion on his mother growing up in the segregated South where Blacks were not allowed to be treated by white dentists was the most personal and poignant moment of the show.
George Carlin will always be my #1 comedian but Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are my current favorites.
Selective Outrage provides the best medicine for us all, laughter.
A meaningful next chapter to Chapelle's special about society and woke culture, with flaws
Hallelujah28926 March 2023
Chris Rock "Selective Outrage" at times felt like a thematic riff off of one of David Chapelle's recent specials for Netflix. Woke culture, cancel culture, transgender issues, even mentioning Michael Jackson like Chapelle did.
There's definitely something of a familiar echo here, which at times Chris elaborates further on, and at times attempts to make a point and which he later backpedals on. Where he breaks new ground, it's enthralling, and where he fails, disappointing.
But overall, this is still Chris Rock in finer form than specials of the last couple years. He has appeared painfully confessional in the past, which has been awkward to watch. He retains some of that sense of embarrassment and necessity at moments, but resolves into an ending of confidence as he finally talks about the Will Smith debacle that has linked itself to Chris this past year.
I did not actually get the last line of the special; I wish it tied all the themes Chris laid out better than it actually did. Chris dropped his mic, but not on a mic drop line. But that wasn't important in the end, as what Chris really did with his special was drop the mic on Will Smith, who he finally called out for slapping him at the Oscars.
Glad to see Chris get his confidence back, as well as touch on a subject everyone has been wanting him to, while also imparting a meaningful message about the state of society, "selective outrage," and his unwillingness to get attention like he says the nation is addicted to by being a "victim." At least this, and probably the most important part, landed.
That is, there are four ways to get attention that the nation is addicted to: 1) showing a**, 2) being infamous, 3) being excellent, 4) being a victim. Which is a simple, concise and accurate reflection of social media and the state of modern news.
Other than this, probably the most meaningful part of the special is about Chris's daughter, who he gives a secret revelation to in the special. And Chris's thoughts on abortion.
I personally felt like Chris Rock wanted to avoid the controversy Chapelle faced about transgender issues by taking a far too safe stance about the hypothetical case if his father turned transgender. It was a let down for Chris to seem intimidated by getting canceled like Chapelle almost was in the same special where he was confronting wokeness like Chapelle did. Not that Chris Rock has to be controversial if he doesn't have controversial views, but why hide behind the voice of his brother to say anything vaguely transphobic. Why bring up the topic at all if Chris was just going to give the Lululemon yoga pants version of his views. Sure he got applause, but personally, I didn't buy what he was saying as he also tried to sell a conflicting picture of how non-accepting Black people are in general as authentic reality. Then he said he would "immediately" accept his hypothetical transgender father, just because he was an "artist"? Sorry but he contradicted his own paradigm and made his positivity seem inauthentic.
This contradiction unfortunately took away from the ending for me, when it was completely avoidable by just not attempting to cover all the points that Chapelle tried to. If Chris Rock was going to comment on Chapelle's specials, he should've committed to it. I wish there was that through line, even though I actually do believe Chris Rock added to the conversation Dave Chapelle started about confronting woke culture and the state of society today, but just in other ways.
There's definitely something of a familiar echo here, which at times Chris elaborates further on, and at times attempts to make a point and which he later backpedals on. Where he breaks new ground, it's enthralling, and where he fails, disappointing.
But overall, this is still Chris Rock in finer form than specials of the last couple years. He has appeared painfully confessional in the past, which has been awkward to watch. He retains some of that sense of embarrassment and necessity at moments, but resolves into an ending of confidence as he finally talks about the Will Smith debacle that has linked itself to Chris this past year.
I did not actually get the last line of the special; I wish it tied all the themes Chris laid out better than it actually did. Chris dropped his mic, but not on a mic drop line. But that wasn't important in the end, as what Chris really did with his special was drop the mic on Will Smith, who he finally called out for slapping him at the Oscars.
Glad to see Chris get his confidence back, as well as touch on a subject everyone has been wanting him to, while also imparting a meaningful message about the state of society, "selective outrage," and his unwillingness to get attention like he says the nation is addicted to by being a "victim." At least this, and probably the most important part, landed.
That is, there are four ways to get attention that the nation is addicted to: 1) showing a**, 2) being infamous, 3) being excellent, 4) being a victim. Which is a simple, concise and accurate reflection of social media and the state of modern news.
Other than this, probably the most meaningful part of the special is about Chris's daughter, who he gives a secret revelation to in the special. And Chris's thoughts on abortion.
I personally felt like Chris Rock wanted to avoid the controversy Chapelle faced about transgender issues by taking a far too safe stance about the hypothetical case if his father turned transgender. It was a let down for Chris to seem intimidated by getting canceled like Chapelle almost was in the same special where he was confronting wokeness like Chapelle did. Not that Chris Rock has to be controversial if he doesn't have controversial views, but why hide behind the voice of his brother to say anything vaguely transphobic. Why bring up the topic at all if Chris was just going to give the Lululemon yoga pants version of his views. Sure he got applause, but personally, I didn't buy what he was saying as he also tried to sell a conflicting picture of how non-accepting Black people are in general as authentic reality. Then he said he would "immediately" accept his hypothetical transgender father, just because he was an "artist"? Sorry but he contradicted his own paradigm and made his positivity seem inauthentic.
This contradiction unfortunately took away from the ending for me, when it was completely avoidable by just not attempting to cover all the points that Chapelle tried to. If Chris Rock was going to comment on Chapelle's specials, he should've committed to it. I wish there was that through line, even though I actually do believe Chris Rock added to the conversation Dave Chapelle started about confronting woke culture and the state of society today, but just in other ways.
Just flat out funny
marymcfarland-018666 March 2023
I've always loved Chris Rock. I've seen much of what he's done and I've enjoyed it all.
This performance...whilst a bit bumpy in the beginning, was absolutely hilarious. I had to stifle my laughs so my teen wouldn't come to my room and disturb my enjoyment.
I will watch and praise all comedians who throw caution to the wind...Chris Rock, Chappelle, Gervais, Wong, The Elder Millenial whose name i cant remember right now...and back in my day stand ups...Murphy, Prior, Carlin, Williams, Goldberg
It's COMEDY. It's funny....it's full of sarcasm, hyperbole, satire, self depreciation...
Two thumbs up from me. Everything I wanted in a comedy show.
Definitely recommend.
This performance...whilst a bit bumpy in the beginning, was absolutely hilarious. I had to stifle my laughs so my teen wouldn't come to my room and disturb my enjoyment.
I will watch and praise all comedians who throw caution to the wind...Chris Rock, Chappelle, Gervais, Wong, The Elder Millenial whose name i cant remember right now...and back in my day stand ups...Murphy, Prior, Carlin, Williams, Goldberg
It's COMEDY. It's funny....it's full of sarcasm, hyperbole, satire, self depreciation...
Two thumbs up from me. Everything I wanted in a comedy show.
Definitely recommend.
A few laughs
guitarguyct8 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I got a few good laughs, but not nearly as many as I was expecting. It was a bit preachy in the first half, and he repeated himself one too many times on quite a few of the jokes. He came out the gate with an energy that didn't feel quite like him, and it took a little while for him to settle in.
I appreciated a lot of the things he was saying, and it was cool to hear about his family life a bit. But I was expecting more substance and more laughs, especially compared to his past specials. The best material he had was about the Will Smith slap (as you'd expect) and he saved it until the very end. It felt like the first half of the special was throwaway jokes, the third quarter was what the first half should've been, and the last quarter was the Will Smith content everyone was there for. Not bad, but not quite the comedy special I was looking for.
I appreciated a lot of the things he was saying, and it was cool to hear about his family life a bit. But I was expecting more substance and more laughs, especially compared to his past specials. The best material he had was about the Will Smith slap (as you'd expect) and he saved it until the very end. It felt like the first half of the special was throwaway jokes, the third quarter was what the first half should've been, and the last quarter was the Will Smith content everyone was there for. Not bad, but not quite the comedy special I was looking for.
He done fell off
d_penn4 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
There were a few funny jokes but overall, it was kind of a disappointment, specially knowing that Rock took a whole year to return the slap.
The jokes about the woke madness and his country's division were fun and welcome, but it seems to me that most of the time he was unnecessarily and repetitively vulgar.
The most awaited moment, the slap-back, was pretty much an account of what happened and why, the background of it, told in a funny (and brutal) way, but without the ingenious jokes Rock got us used to.
The closing comment(joke?) when he dropped the mic... I don't get it. But I will say I kinda get the just of it and happen to like it a lil bit.
The jokes about the woke madness and his country's division were fun and welcome, but it seems to me that most of the time he was unnecessarily and repetitively vulgar.
The most awaited moment, the slap-back, was pretty much an account of what happened and why, the background of it, told in a funny (and brutal) way, but without the ingenious jokes Rock got us used to.
The closing comment(joke?) when he dropped the mic... I don't get it. But I will say I kinda get the just of it and happen to like it a lil bit.
He's one of the greats of all time.
macc995 March 2023
Rock's early standup shows are among the best live comedy ever produced. Not only that, they are part of the evolution of standup comedy.
No artist could keep up that standard over the decades and on his last outing Tamborine, Rock seemed to have lost focus a bit (although lesser Rock shows are still better than the majority of live comedy). Now, however he's back on much firmer ground with Selective Outrage.
As brutally honest as ever, he talks about his life now from the point-of-view of being a very rich, successful comic. He doesn't play down his success or play down to his audience. He also doesn't care about the social media trend for "policing" comedy and will say what he likes. It will garner accusations that he's "bitter," "out of touch," etc and you just know he couldn't care less about that either.
It's great to see him back. In these censorious times we need honest, brilliant artists like Chris Rock more than ever.
No artist could keep up that standard over the decades and on his last outing Tamborine, Rock seemed to have lost focus a bit (although lesser Rock shows are still better than the majority of live comedy). Now, however he's back on much firmer ground with Selective Outrage.
As brutally honest as ever, he talks about his life now from the point-of-view of being a very rich, successful comic. He doesn't play down his success or play down to his audience. He also doesn't care about the social media trend for "policing" comedy and will say what he likes. It will garner accusations that he's "bitter," "out of touch," etc and you just know he couldn't care less about that either.
It's great to see him back. In these censorious times we need honest, brilliant artists like Chris Rock more than ever.
Very funny, though not consistently so
grantss10 January 2024
Comedian Chris Rock delivers a stand-up comedy special in Baltimore for a Netflix special.
I generally like Chris Rock's comedy though wouldn't call myself a die-hard fan. I am a fan of his fearlessness and unPCness and here he doesn't disappoint. Quite a lot of jokes that many comedians wouldn't go near for fear of the Woke Brigade and offense seekers in general.
There are some great jokes and topics (once again, often going boldly where no one has before), especially towards the beginning of the show. From a point he did seem a bit repetitive and some of his jokes a bit forced, more relying on the outrageousness of his statement than on any humour involved. Plus, in general I do much prefer comedy of the serious-seeming-story-and-then-punchline variety (e.g. Dave Chappelle) rather than Chris Rock's opening-line-is-the-punchline style.
This said it is very funny at times, as well as thought-provoking, and as a bonus, we get his take on the Will Smith incident at the Oscars.
I generally like Chris Rock's comedy though wouldn't call myself a die-hard fan. I am a fan of his fearlessness and unPCness and here he doesn't disappoint. Quite a lot of jokes that many comedians wouldn't go near for fear of the Woke Brigade and offense seekers in general.
There are some great jokes and topics (once again, often going boldly where no one has before), especially towards the beginning of the show. From a point he did seem a bit repetitive and some of his jokes a bit forced, more relying on the outrageousness of his statement than on any humour involved. Plus, in general I do much prefer comedy of the serious-seeming-story-and-then-punchline variety (e.g. Dave Chappelle) rather than Chris Rock's opening-line-is-the-punchline style.
This said it is very funny at times, as well as thought-provoking, and as a bonus, we get his take on the Will Smith incident at the Oscars.
Die hard fans keep this rating high
ASBKnight7 March 2023
One of the most boring stand-ups I've seen.
Keep repeating an expression or phrase 3-6 times, that is not even funny, no reaction from the public, seems like an old man trying to remember the punch line.
Another big issue is... instead of trying to be funny or deliver jokes, 80% of the show is him saying his political views, not even a joke or making fun of the topic like other comedians.
Imagine going to the hospital and instead of being treated for an emergency, the doctor starts saying jokes and then leaves. This is America right now, fked up people doing fked up things.
I was looking forward to this show because of all the potential, but such a dissapointment.
Wake me up in 20 years when hopefully logic and facts come back. And good jokes.
Keep repeating an expression or phrase 3-6 times, that is not even funny, no reaction from the public, seems like an old man trying to remember the punch line.
Another big issue is... instead of trying to be funny or deliver jokes, 80% of the show is him saying his political views, not even a joke or making fun of the topic like other comedians.
Imagine going to the hospital and instead of being treated for an emergency, the doctor starts saying jokes and then leaves. This is America right now, fked up people doing fked up things.
I was looking forward to this show because of all the potential, but such a dissapointment.
Wake me up in 20 years when hopefully logic and facts come back. And good jokes.
Worth a watch, but not much that's side-splitting
stevem-4267711 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Watched this last night. 6/10 from me. I genuinely laughed several times but also grimaced a few times (gird yourself for his abortion jokes and excessive use of the 'n' word). He adeptly stepped through some controversial topics, but stepped into s**t in a couple others. He offered a number of personal tales, which some will find amusing and others may find boring. His take on the Will Smith incident toward the end of the show was pretty funny, although not terribly side-splitting.
In the final analysis, I had expected to laugh considerably more than I did, but it was certainly worth a late-night viewing.
In the final analysis, I had expected to laugh considerably more than I did, but it was certainly worth a late-night viewing.
Not polished
billytpower5 April 2023
Rock is much much funnier then this, you could tell he was more nervous than usual, often spent too much time repeating lines of jokes to make up for timing (a comics bread and butter is timing) I did enjoy the range of topics and at times fearless. I believe that most of the audience was waiting for the WS section of his show and he didn't disappoint in that regard. Please don't juge his abilities to make people laugh by this special alone, I gave it a six out of ten only because of the afore mentioned issues.... I did think the choice of of venue was a good move, Baltimore is a particularly unique city with a very large division in cultural backgrounds. In closing I'm glad I watched it.
Chris Rock is Funny!!
SimoCummings25 March 2023
I enjoyed this so much.. Chris is so funny and he touches on all the issues that some get so het up about..! Racism, abortion, Republicans, Megan Markle and The Kardashians.. as well as the now infamous incident at the Academy Awards with actor Will Smith. Crushed it! ....
Some good laugh out loud moments ..
But if you're the type of person who is defensive on all of the above .. don't watch it.. 😂😂😂
This was well done a true masterpiece of truthful comedy. The only issue I would say is this is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18 as there is a lot of swearing and topics of sex. Sex is openly discussed with no filter so it's a purely adult content comedy show.
But if you're the type of person who is defensive on all of the above .. don't watch it.. 😂😂😂
This was well done a true masterpiece of truthful comedy. The only issue I would say is this is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18 as there is a lot of swearing and topics of sex. Sex is openly discussed with no filter so it's a purely adult content comedy show.
Welcome Back to Baltimore
happywolf-488165 March 2023
Poignant. Funny. Not his best, but not his worst. A few times he claims he supports something, but then turns around & makes a negative joke about that topic. A handful of jokes drag out after the point has been made - too much mansplaining a few times - but that's nothing new with Chris Rock. Current events give him ALOT of ammunition, sometimes it felt like he was reaching for a laugh, however there's never too awkward a moment left hanging in the air. It was great to see live in Baltimore. The sold out audience welcomes him back with open arms. Welcome back to the stage, Chris - no slapping here but high fives.
Great comeback
cherylkyrandia29 March 2023
Lets be real, I think everyone tuned in for his commentary about the infamous slap he endured. But the other jokes featured in this Netflix special are pretty solid as well. I wouldn't say I've historically been a Chris Rock fan but this special has made me want to go back and check his other stuff out. And without giving anything away, he does a fine job at balancing humour and giving his side of the story (and getting some revenge) in his commentary about Will Smith. You might need to read up a bit on the event itself to appreciate that segment of the special (if you've been living under a rock ...pun not intended).
So repetitive but finished strong
khilltx6526 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Chris Rock is a legend. Sadly this special is him repeating every line to every joke twice or more. Like he had a word limit to hit to get paid. The material alone was an 8 the delivery was a 4 so 6 overall. The delivery could have to do with the pressure on Rock to kill this special and smoke infamous cuckold, Will Smith, in the process. Rock did crush Will "the entanglement" Smith in the most fun and brutal way possible. The Cuck Prince might think twice about assaulting a comedian in the future.
Rock has avoided losing touch with audiences that usually happens as comedians gain fame and money.
Rock has avoided losing touch with audiences that usually happens as comedians gain fame and money.
A star for each genuine laugh, and sadly its not a lot.
pixfarina8 March 2023
Chris Rock opens his show with a few jokes about woke and cancel culture, but whatever hopes he raises are soon dashed as Rock never veers too close to real controversy. In fact the middle line is where he stays for most of the show, with mildly amusing jokes on one side, and anecdotes on the other. And the anecdotes are something the viewer may or may not find entertaining.
Through Rock name drops, offers shout outs to other celebrities and indulges in rounds of self congratulation, these things are not amusing, or entertainment. Inviting an audience to cheer name recognition or success never is, it's just cheap. In the part of the show where he talks about his wealth Rock is too clearly imitating Dave Chappelle (who he also name drops), and Rock only suffers by the comparison.
The anecdotes Rock tells (instead of jokes) are also oddly personal rather than funny, and one has to question why he included them. They are certainly not funny enough to warrant the close attention needed to follow them. This is strange as it is the type of material one would expect from a novice comedian who might unwisely rely on a story about their race or social status in place of a well crafted joke. In the current climate its the sort of thing an audience might feel a duty to clap for rather than laugh at. It is the sort of fare one might expect to see from 'inclusive' TV comedy, rather than the in the repertoire of a comedy master. On the evidence of this show Rock has certainly lost his edge.
He does get to Will Smith, and this is the strongest material in the show. But it is only the last 10 minutes, which makes the preceding show look like a lot of formulaic padding.
Through Rock name drops, offers shout outs to other celebrities and indulges in rounds of self congratulation, these things are not amusing, or entertainment. Inviting an audience to cheer name recognition or success never is, it's just cheap. In the part of the show where he talks about his wealth Rock is too clearly imitating Dave Chappelle (who he also name drops), and Rock only suffers by the comparison.
The anecdotes Rock tells (instead of jokes) are also oddly personal rather than funny, and one has to question why he included them. They are certainly not funny enough to warrant the close attention needed to follow them. This is strange as it is the type of material one would expect from a novice comedian who might unwisely rely on a story about their race or social status in place of a well crafted joke. In the current climate its the sort of thing an audience might feel a duty to clap for rather than laugh at. It is the sort of fare one might expect to see from 'inclusive' TV comedy, rather than the in the repertoire of a comedy master. On the evidence of this show Rock has certainly lost his edge.
He does get to Will Smith, and this is the strongest material in the show. But it is only the last 10 minutes, which makes the preceding show look like a lot of formulaic padding.
10/10
Samual-M6 March 2023
Genius.
That's what I call someone who has honed their craft and does it effortlessly time and time again without repeating themselves.
When has Chris Rock failed to make you laugh?
I'll give you a second to think... never is the answer!
The structure of his routine was flawless. You can tell he's really honed this material over the past years and it comes out fresh, and delightful to the ears.
His addressing the Will Smith slap debacle was indeed hilarious. Especially since he explained what actually happened leading up to the incident. Every setup was perfect and the punchline was delicious.
This might be peak Chris Rock but then again, he is a genius.
Definitely watch this mirthful special!
That's what I call someone who has honed their craft and does it effortlessly time and time again without repeating themselves.
When has Chris Rock failed to make you laugh?
I'll give you a second to think... never is the answer!
The structure of his routine was flawless. You can tell he's really honed this material over the past years and it comes out fresh, and delightful to the ears.
His addressing the Will Smith slap debacle was indeed hilarious. Especially since he explained what actually happened leading up to the incident. Every setup was perfect and the punchline was delicious.
This might be peak Chris Rock but then again, he is a genius.
Definitely watch this mirthful special!
@sleepyratingscale
thebimp10 March 2023
Chris held nothing back with this comedy special.
He went after Megan Markel, Snoop Dogg The Kardasians, the Jan 6 rioters, Kanye, etc. He called will smith adjacently a b@tch like 20 times! He pushed the mark on his jokes where they probably can't be repeated at work without u getting ur ass fired. I laughed and cringed at parts. I think the best part was the end bit on Will Smith, we all knew he would take it there and he was big mad. I will say I have seen better stand ups of him where I laughed the whole time. This was entertaining and not too long where u will fall asleep. I also had to look up how old he was after he kept saying he only wants to date 25 year olds. He looks great for 58.
He went after Megan Markel, Snoop Dogg The Kardasians, the Jan 6 rioters, Kanye, etc. He called will smith adjacently a b@tch like 20 times! He pushed the mark on his jokes where they probably can't be repeated at work without u getting ur ass fired. I laughed and cringed at parts. I think the best part was the end bit on Will Smith, we all knew he would take it there and he was big mad. I will say I have seen better stand ups of him where I laughed the whole time. This was entertaining and not too long where u will fall asleep. I also had to look up how old he was after he kept saying he only wants to date 25 year olds. He looks great for 58.
Not good at all
clibat7 March 2023
I'm giving this 2 stars for the 2 jokes that he told. A 5 minute diatribe about his daughter didn't even make an attempt at comedy. This was just bad and not worth the watch... If you are desperate, maybe watch the last 10 minutes. He repeats himself numerous times for no reason that I can think of. Comedy is supposed to make you laugh, and I was really looking forward to this and hoping it would be good, but I found myself angry after watching it that I wasted an hour for this garbage lazy performance, hoping it would get better. Hopefully Chris will spend a little more time on joke writing before hi next special.
Funny enough
jellopuke3 May 2023
A decent comedy special where Chris Rock teases going into the Oscar talk for a while then finally delivers at the end and just blisters Will Smith.
You have to wade through a lot to get to what everyone wants to see, but it is worth it in the end.
If you like Chris Rock, you'll like this but it's not the best thing he's done and he's pretty much been supplanted by Dave Chappelle in the comedy world. You're seeing a rich old dude talking about rich old dude problems who just so happens to have a "street" background and was once on SNL and considered topical and dangerous. Now he's almost like Cosby...
You have to wade through a lot to get to what everyone wants to see, but it is worth it in the end.
If you like Chris Rock, you'll like this but it's not the best thing he's done and he's pretty much been supplanted by Dave Chappelle in the comedy world. You're seeing a rich old dude talking about rich old dude problems who just so happens to have a "street" background and was once on SNL and considered topical and dangerous. Now he's almost like Cosby...
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