Chris Rock - Bigger and Blacker

If you want intelligent comedy, this is the video for you! However, be forewarned that Chris Rock has a penchant for using the "f" word when emphasizing points, which some may find annoying after a while, and he is bound to say something that may offend someone. Nonetheless, I think that's what makes Chris Rock great and universal. Although Chris caters to an African-American audience, he ultimately has ideas that speaks to all segments of society- conservatives, liberals, white/black/asian/latino, homosexual, religious, non-religious, etc. A view that one segment of society finds appealing is bound to be held in disdain by another.

I must admit, in the past year that I've become a Chris Rock fan, I've found it difficult to watch other comedians. Few are as hard-hitting as Chris Rock. Get this video to see what I mean! While you are at it, get "Bring the Pain"- this one packs even more punch than "Bigger and Blacker".


A modern classic   September 4, 2007
Kyle Swanson (Austin, TX United States)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Rock is perhaps the sharpest stand-up working today (though Carlin is still trenchant, to say the least), and this is his peak. Crafting a well-nigh perfect performance using his pissed-off ghetto persona, Rock hits the bull's eye again and again here. His delivery is razor-sharp, the material pretty much flawless; this will still be hilarious in fifty years.
I've seen hundreds of stand-up routines; this is the only one I've watched over a dozen times. It never seems to grow old...I don't know how it's always funny, but it is. When I've got to either laugh immmediately or die of post-modern deconstructivist meta-ironic brainache, this is the pick. The cd is nowhere near as good, different takes on the same material but without the edge.
Five stars, no doubt.



Incredible Performance By Chris Rock   September 5, 2000
Venkat Williams (Boynton Beach, Fl)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

This was just an absolute delight to watch. Chris Rock comes at you with topic after topic and always blends everything smoothly together(like the Ricky Martin livin' la vita loca and the robotusim jokes throughout the night). This is a top notch performance from a top notch comedian. Even if you're not a Chris Rock fan you must respect his work on "Bigger & Blacker". His presence on the stage is incredible and his performance is even more spectacular. Chris Rock is a very intelligent comedian that shows you a vision of the world we tend to hide or ignore. After seeing this show so many times I started to ask myself how can he remember and deliever his act so smoothly. It seems like as if Chris Rock is having a regular conversation with the crowd as he performs on stage. Chris tackles enough issues in this show to have everyone (black or white)to relate to the material in some way. There is no doubt about it, this DVD is great and if you didn't see it on HBO or home video then you need to pick up this DVD. The price on this DVD is good but the show itself is great. A Must have for true fans of comedy. ( intellectual or silly )


Whatever happened to 'Crazy'?   December 20, 2004
Schtinky (California)
10 out of 14 found this review helpful

`Bigger And Blacker' is one of the funniest standup routines I have ever seen. Rock is in his finest hour here, spewing out admonitions on parenting, relationships, childhood, and even the Presidency, while making me laugh until I choked. His amazingly funny satire brings with it the stinging bite of truth, which in turn makes it all the more laughable.

Generously peppered with the "F" word, you certainly won't enjoy his humor if you can't stomach the profanity, not to mention that most of his subjects are in the "adult" realm, such as Hilary Clinton's job as First Lady, and why it's easier for women to score.

The part I found the funniest in his routine is his reproach towards parents to take care of their children, using such hilarious statements such as, "You have to teach your kids more words other than `Mommy be back'", and the excuses people use to explain away their crimes (Whatever happened to `Crazy'?).

Rock's performance is high energy, satirical, scolding, profane, intelligent, and most of all...hilariously funny. Even after repeat viewings I still laugh out loud at this performance, one of the best since Eddie Murphy's `Delirious'. If you are looking for a few side-splitting belly laughs, then pick up a copy of `Bigger And Blacker'. Enjoy!



Sharp Views on Various Human Conditions...   April 11, 2005
drefractor (Arizona)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

What makes you laugh? "Bigger and Blacker" dishes out the following:

1) Profanity -- quite a bit of it. If you laugh at the mere thought or sound of profanity, buy this DVD. But in reality, the raw language is irrelevant. Watch the intensity of the delivery and pay attention to the ideas surrounding the "bad" words.

2) Social/Political Commentary from one man's perspective -- A LOT of it.
Chris Rock, as he continually states either directly or indirectly, is a "law and order conservative" (well, mostly order!) and a "moral" liberal. His moral liberalism is a bit extreme for most people, but it is refreshingly consistent and counterbalances the traditional notion of "liberal" tolerance with the libertarian ideal of being accountable for one's actions. Oh, and by the way, there are no victims in Chris Rock's universe. If you dislike "Victim" mentality, you will find it well dismissed here.

3) Social/Racial Commentary from a black man's perspective -- There is a fair amount of this in Bigger and Blacker, but nothing earth shaking. Although he is clearly not pleased to be directly on the negative end of racial profiling, Rock typically redirects his racial commentary into larger themes (violence, hypocrisy, value systems...).

4) About Men and Women -- Who are we, together and apart? These subjects are always fertile ground for comedy. Although he attempts to soften the blows by continued professions of his love for women, Chris's take on women in general is pretty harsh, while not quite so hard, nor as detailed on men. Rock has a clear disdain for absentee fathers, but men get a pass on most of their behaviors -- behaviors that are excused as "understandable" (if not necessarily right) attempts to get around intolerable actions of women. Judging by the apparent reaction of the female members of the audience, Chris puts enough meat on the bones of his contentions to warrant serious contemplation after the laughter.

5) Physical Presence -- Energetic, intense, animated...

6) Limited Exaggerations -- Bigger and Blacker material mostly avoids "over-"exaggeration while its points are being made, and make no mistake, Chris Rock is trying to make a LOT of points (Rock's latest stand-up effort, "Never Scared" drifts more often into realm of over-exaggeration by my account, thus rendering it less enjoyable despite some great ideas).

7) Bonus Points -- A hilarious question is asked about medical science's ability (or lack thereof) to cure major diseases... An observation is given about social security's relevancy to black men... Both of these bonus points strain at the limits of exaggeration, but contain enough weight to make them worthy of an acid laugh or three...

In short, Bigger and Blacker is not light comedy. If you primarily like self- depreciating comedians, Chris Rock is not your man; If you are a diehard of the "left" or "right," he is not your man. If you prefer to believe that the world is generally rosy, he is not your man. If, on the other hand, you enjoy exceptional (almost) equal opportunity skewerings of pretenses and prejudices, it doesn't get much better than "Bigger and Blacker".