Dave Chappelle: 8:46 (2020 TV Special) User Reviews

It's not a comedy special, it's a historical document.

[jonacosta81 · 8/10 · 13 June 2020]

This was a special, but not a comedy special. It was much more than that. He does have a thesis that serves as the backbone of the 27 or so minutes of material, but it's secondary to the content. Is it raw? Yeah. It's current, it's now. He makes reference to how his great-grandfather was born a slave...thats not thousands of years ago, that's now.

If you are expecting a gut-busting laugh-fest, you will be sorely disappointed. It's not perfect, but this needs to be watched, if only for perspective. To reiterate, its not a comedy special, it's history.

Necessary

[tgainey14 · 9/10 · 14 June 2020]

I get why people don't enjoy it. If youre coming for the comedy its minimal on laughs. But its definitely the right time to discuss these issues. Props to Dave for having the courage to put out something that actually opens peoples eyes not just make them laugh. I mean hes always done that but this ones pretty heavy on social commentary.

Not a comedy show, just an angry @ss man who has to let loose

[EasternZZ · 7/10 · 14 June 2020]

This isn't a comedy show, Dave is releasing some pure anger in this special. Even Dave claims it is not well rehearse, just an angry man talking. It is good if you know what you are getting into. This isn't "Killing me Softly," that is pure comedy art. This is just a man who is pissed off and needs to release some steam.

8/10 (DAVE has surpassed Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, he is now the GOAT)

Poignant, time worthy and Dave at his understandable fieriest

[[e-mail] · 10/10 · 13 June 2020]

I'm not sure what the other reviewers who gave this one star were expecting to hear from Dave Chappelle so close to the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests around the world, I really have no idea! But personally, I was expecting something powerful and full of passion, and that's what Chappelle gave us.

Anyone expecting comedy from Dave Chappelle right now hasn't been paying attention to who he is!

Perfect indignation

[nicci1972 · 10/10 · 14 June 2020]

Anyone who doesn't understand his point of view and what is going on in the United States 🇺🇸 right now, should not provide comment. It's a matter of a man seeing another man brutally treated-not for the first time, not for the 1000th time, but as common practice. From the emasculation and beating of slaves, to the group lynching to modern Commonplace violence - all because the person exists has a different skin??? How can you not be upset, how can you not understand, at a minimum how can you not empathize. Thanks Dave for telling the truth.

Not a comedy special, but an impactful take on the racial divide in the US

[manuel_medeiros · 8/10 · 16 June 2020]

Released on YouTube by Netflix Is A Joke - the streamer's comedy and stand-up "brand" - the audience could be misled into thinking this was another installment of Chappelle's latest run of hilarious stand-up specials, like Sticks and Stones.

The name 8:46, inspired by how long the police officer who killed George Floyd's knelt on his neck, should give viewers an indication that this half-hour shouldn't be as filled with laughs as other times Chappelle got up on a stage. The brief description -

"Normally I wouldn't show you something so unrefined, I hope you understand"

• is another clue.

From the pandemic-compliant live audience sitting meters apart of each other and with masks, to the use of a notebook to the keep the comedian on track, 8:46 is definitely raw. That helps to make it much closer to a podcast or a personal essay than to a fully rehearsed stand-up routine.

But 8:46 is a captivating watch.

Chappelle's takes you on a journey by narrating through many events in his life that are tied to violence against or involving the African-American community.

It is true, the laughs are few and far in between. The distance between audience members also makes each joke harder to land. But you still get glimpses of quintessential Chappelle in this 30-minute long "special", including a reference to the famous "Where's Ja Rule?" joke.

In fact, what makes 8:46 bewitching is Chappelle's command of his own tone and enunciation.

8:46 is not a hilarious watch, no.

But if you are at all interested in the current social unrest in the US and the (latest) events that triggered it, watching a personal essay by Dave Chappelle - an African-American comedy legend who always spoke on the issue of race - should be very high up on your list.

Dave is the Anomaly and Not the Norm

[seansoulo73 · 9/10 · 7 July 2020]

I admit, this was more of a rant than a well-executed stand-up special, but it was necessary! Besides, Dave gave the audience a verbal disclaimer at the onset. There are very few political satirists at the top of the black comedy food chain. I imagine, because it can be a career killer or maker in Hollywood, but David has already shown the world that his personal integrity and truth far outweigh the almighty dollar and what's considered "safe" material. He walked away from $50 million, and everyone thought he had lost his mind! Boy, did he prove them wrong.

The only other black stand-up comedians I can think of that push the subject matter envelope and dare to go where others won't are Chris Rock, DL Hughley, Wanda Sykes and Michael Che. These comedians make us all think about hard-truths, and not just hee and haw when we're done watching. Political satire is an art form all its own that not many comedians possess. I feel you Dave on every level!

Boring rant

[lineart-12973 · 17 June 2020]

You have been warned. If you like that sort of thing...Enjoy!

A More Serious Dave

[view_and_review · 8/10 · 19 October 2021]

In this brief COVID-lockdown era special Dave dials down the jokes and dials up the anger. It's not a comedian on stage foaming at the mouth, but you can see the anger in his face and hear it in his voice. It comes from a good place though because "8:46" is representative of the eight minutes and forty-six seconds Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd's neck (we now know that the time was above nine minutes). A visibly shaken Dave wanted to address the issue while throwing in a joke or two. Was it as funny as other stuff of his? No, and I'm not mad.

Dave speaks from the heart

[120watts · 8/10 · 18 June 2020]

Dave isn't there to draw cheap laughs or say "the right thing." What he delivers is a half hour of passionate social commentary, a righteous anger filtered through his unique personable, conversational style. He gets through to people as only Dave Chappelle can. To critics, I say: don't ask what Chappelle is missing, ask what society is missing that people are hungry to hear this message from a comedian. Dave is right - it's because he doesn't deal in political spin, virtue signalling, clout-seeking, or wooden ideological agendas. We know he speaks from his soul.

Uncomfortable, hard to watch, and oh so true.

[poetmedia · 7/10 · 21 June 2020]

I was elated to see that Chappelle returned so soon after his latest "controversial" special Sticks & Stones. But very soon into this short special I understood that it was not about comedy, especially with Dave also checking his notes. This was a highly intelligent man with a platform, telling us his views about what is going on. And when you realize this isn´t going to be funny but important, it is hard not to be moved.

It is of course not for everybody. Some just want the jokes. Some just wants to be offended. In order to fit in probably. But for those of us who are willing to set aside the jokes for awhile and try to walk in another mans shoes for awhile ...this is powerful, great and necessary.

RIP George

[ericstevenson · 10/10 · 26 May 2021]

I just wanted to watch the most popular George Floyd video to honor the anniversary of his death. I had no idea I would stumble upon Dave Chappelle's standup video. It contains very few jokes and is basically one long rant about George Floyd and racism. This may have been the first standup special made by anyone in the country since Covid-19. The title refers to the EXACT number of minutes and seconds George Floyd was being stepped on before dying. Dave Chappelle claims it's important to him because that's when he was born!

This is quite relevant to me as it was just MY birthday too! This is basically Dave Chappelle talking about racism and for the first time I knew, that was his great grandfather was a slave! I am so glad we have come so far in this past year with his death and the great job Joe Biden is doing. He mentioned other important cases like Treyvon Martin. I would like to add the case of Amadou Diallo, a man shot 19 times simply because police thought he was reaching for a gun when he was just reaching for his wallet! This is extremely poignant and while not funny, definitely an incredible video. ****

Ill-disciplined

[Victor_Fallon · 3/10 · 15 June 2020]

No doubt this is raw and emotional for Chapelle, but as a spectator there's not very much to enjoy. He makes his points somberly and tells his stories with some evident passion, but the points he makes aren't exactly groundbreaking. The first act has Dave illustrating how horrible the Floyd death was. I mean. Everybody knows. He adds nothing to the cultural conversation and none of his usually clever lines that crystallise his thoughts.

I wasn't expecting belly laughs but attempting to find social commentary here (beyond what you can read on Twitter) is, unfortunately, fruitless. There are a handful of other stories, some of which have rather murky principles, but Dave seems to want to cling to his polemic here. His usual creativity with crassness isn't on display here either. He can be very artful when deflating his media targets, but resorts here to brainless insults (expecting... what?). He excuses himself from slurring women by saying, "I use these words because, y'know... I'm black."

Richard Pryor would like a word.

Easily skippable, but do enjoy Dave's other shows. Most of them are sharp and funny.

Wise words in a tough situation

[jmunter-11815 · 10/10 · 12 February 2022]

One of the things I thought of immediately upon hearing about the death of George Floyd was "How is Dave going to react to this? What does he have to say?" Because I knew he had been talking about this for just about his entire career, and this was one of the most devastating stories to come out in the past decade. I knew he was gonna bring the thunder, and boy did he ever

He didn't just talk about George, he didn't just talk about other victims just like him, he didn't just talk about the insane reaction from the devil's advocates, he didn't just talk about the hypocrisy and the hubris, he talked about all of it. He left no stone unturned because this is not a new story, and there's only so many times the same things can be said in different ways

This is not a comedy special, this is the words of a wise man who couldn't just stand on the sidelines, without the intention of drowning out the voices of others standing beside him. This is one of the most impactful specials I've ever seen in my entire life, and I still revisit it to this day.

I found most of this shocking. There is very little comedy in this and you should be able to understand why.

[talese-amer · 10/10 · 10 October 2021]

I am writing this given the number of 1* reviews this has been given. If you think this is 1* you don't appreciate what it is like to be black in the US and you have neither sympathy of empathy. If you want comedy, do not watch this.

I saw someone say that using Christopher Dorner as an example was bad because he was crazy and a murderer. Do you know the police shot at 3 innocent people while trying to catch Dorner. None of the police officers were charged. This is exactly what Dorner was complaining about. Excessive force still occurs in the LAPD and no one is held accountable.

Chapelle's anecdotes and stories reach for your heart and grab hold tight. If you want a laugh, this is not for you. This is a serious expression of Chapelle's frustrations with how black people are treated in the US. He confronts the present and brings up his own past to bring a harsh dose of reality to his angry man rant. This is an angry rant. So if you think Blue Lives Matter and racism doesnt exist in the US, you should skip this.

There was a comment that this not a neutral take on things. No, its not neutral. Its Chapelle's point of view, and you should listen. Everyone has an opinion, but sometimes you need to listen.

Someone below said we all know how bad George Floyd died. Well, actually Im not sure that is true because nobody stopped it. I didnt know it he was pinned for 8mins and 46 seconds. People were protesting around the world because they felt empathy for what happened. This is a conversation that needs to be had.

Predatory policing, perjury and Qualified immunity 101

[ratm-73262 · 10/10 · 14 January 2023]

Better than The Closer. This documentary should be mandatory in elementary history classes, alongside the whitewashed, sanitized, government approved version of MLKs "I Have a Dream" speech which intentionally diverts away from MLKs overarching message of police brutality, and judicial malfeasance with malice and hubris.

Dave Chappelle is a master orator and the definition of truth, honesty and levity. Key points he left out: Without video/audio evidence, perjury and withholding exculpatory evidence are the pillars of our predatory police and persecutors in the U. S., as is falsely accusing, over-charging and equating every non-uniformed criminal to the worst the worst of the worst. Wanting the public to believe the extremities among us are the norms, their felonious deeds are the extremities. White girl tears and theatrics is all the proof needed to convict/kidnap/torture an innocent man by putting him in a cell with real killers for the rest of his life, while Always extending "Professional Courtesy" and the Presumption of Innocence to serial killers like Officer DeAngelo. One would think that after 50yrs of letting Officer DeAngelo live a long happy life that submission of DNA would be mandatory for law enforcement, but Police Unions and DOJ still say no because embarrassing and discrediting themselves is far worse than solving cold cases and actual justice. #InnocenceProject

"Those Without the Captial, Get the Punishment" In general, draconian sentences and capital punishment are reserved for non-uniformed males without Qualified immunity, who can't afford a super lawyer, aren't friends or "family" of the police or their courts and aren't female.

Police turning off their body cams, disabling recording devices in their squad cars, hiding/withholding video/audio that incriminates and embarrasses them is a part of their culture.

Officer Chris Dorner vs Officer Cariol Horne -both fired for complaining or stopping a fellow officer from assaulting or killing someone who is already down, cuffed and not resisting. How they responded to their wrongful terminations is intriguing.

Too angry even to produce a decent angry rant

[robinpas · 2/10 · 14 June 2020]

That this was not going to be funny was to be expected, but that it was also devoid of any attempt at analysis or even perspective was, to me, more than a little disappointing. Chapelle had apparently seen a video by Candace Owens he virulently disagreed with, but instead of explaining why what she had to say about George Floyd bothered him so much, he yelled about her smelly p#ssy with genuine rage and hatred in his voice. And at that level the whole thing remained. Black people are victims. White people are evil. And so are black people who dare to have a different opinion. That about sums it up. He really should have waited for the fog of blind anger to lift before taking the stage.

Just cringe dumb as hell. Didn't age well.

[jcrinvestors · 1/10 · 9 April 2022]

There's so much I can say. But this ain't it.

Sound like a very brainwashed by the news type of rant. That's what it is a RANT and was cringe at best.

Like the passion but hate the Dorner take

[thazritesucka · 3/10 · 27 June 2020]

I'm a big Chappelle fan and I could enjoy this for what it is - obviously not comedy - if it wasn't for his horrible horrible take on Dorner.

Dorner was a mentally ill cold blooded murderer so to try and tie him into this was a bad choice. I'm surprised Dave wouldn't have done more research on the topic given it was such a big part of what he talked about. It frustrated me.

Still a fan, but...

[goaliegod1969-1 · 1/10 · 14 June 2020]

This was just kind of a rant with a laundry list of people who were killed that were in the media. Nothing new or insightful. Maybe depressing. Not funny. Hopefully not a sign of what's more to come from Dave. Miss the old stuff

Not funny

[naf-4 · 3/10 · 24 June 2020]

Not funny, not a comedy. He raises some interesting points but at no point are any jokes told. I love Daves comedy and think his take on BLM in a standup special could be great but this is just him venting. Would be ok if not marked as a comedy.

What did I just watch?

[MovieCriticOnline · 1/10 · 13 June 2020]

Was it supposed to be funny? I was super excited to click on a new Chappelle special and getting a fresh take on current events.

Instead I got an angry lecture filled with an unnecessary tirade of cursing people out but without any punchlines. It was more of an emotional outburst rather than his regularly carefully thought out poignant take on things.

Maybe it's because of the high emotions going on right now, but I think he should have waited a few months and gotten a chance to reflect with a more neutral take on things where some humor could have been mixed in.

It is disappointing because I do think we all needed Dave's voice we are used to. Instead we got someone who hardly was able to control his emotions.

He did admit it was unpolished, but then don't release it until you have worked on it more. Even the audience seem to force themselves to provide scattered uncomfortable laughs. Dave had a talent for taking uncomfortable truths and turning them upside down and poking fun on if. None of that was here. It was the opposite. Dave become uncomfortable to watch. Like an old grumpy once beloved comedian yelling at the audience. Akin to Michael Richards' Caroline rant.

You can skip this and watch his last special which was great.

Not worth it.

[meshuggah315 · 4/10 · 29 September 2020]

Just keep this stuff on your social media. Right? And I'm sure he wished he waited for more information to come out, because this whole thing is bogus.

This was sooo cringeworthy

[InsightfulCritic · 1/10 · 13 June 2020]

I have been a fan of Chappelle for years and he always hits it out of the park with uncomfortable truths mixed with very funny jokes and material. I have no idea what happened to him, but this was not even a comedy routine. It was an angry rant for almost 30 minutes.

I can't think of one joke he told. He scolded certain people, but in a mean and malicious way.

My jaw almost dropped the more I saw. I am not sure why anyone would praise this, but it may be the emperor has no clothes on and he seems to be such a cultural icon that is beyond approach of any criticism.

It was unfunny and there weren't anything interesting take on anything that happened. It could have been an interview from one of the rioters ranting and cursing people out.

skip this political speech

[iamjamalwhite · 1/10 · 16 June 2020]

Disappointed in my boy, Dave. I like his work but this is not his work, it is a speech by the DNC on how cops are bad and white/black conservative women are c&^*s and is embarrassing. No funny here, just a "smart" comedian who is too dumb to realize this is happening the month before elections. Skip this speech.