I watched Dave chappelles Netflix special The Dreamer again last night and out of all his specials that ive watched, i think the dreamer is his best one. I mean i already knew what I was getting into because it is Dave Chappelle, so I expected the usual combination of controversial jokes, storytelling and that very calm delivery he has while smoking his weed in stage. It is not one of those comedy specials as is so often with Dave Chappelle these days where Dave is constantly screaming for a reaction. He just stands there, talks makes observations about what is happening in the world and somehow gets the entire room laughing.
The special starts with Dave talking about his childhood and his dreams of becoming a comedian. The title The Dreamer obviously comes from that idea, and I liked how the special gradually becomes more personal than I initially expected. Dave talks about his journey, his family, his career and the strange position he now finds himself in after decades of being one of the biggest comedians in the world and for me the greatest comedian ever and then, of course, Dave does what Dave does, he starts talking about things that will probably make some people laugh, some people uncomfortable and some people immediately angry. That has basically become part of the Dave Chappelle experience at this point. You don't watch one of his specials expecting him to carefully avoid controversial subjects. He goes directly toward them.
What is so special about Dave's comedy is that he rarely feels like he is simply trying to shock people. There is usually some kind of observation underneath the joke. Whether I agree with the observation or not, I can usually understand what he is trying to say. He has this strange ability to take a serious subject, approach it from an unexpected angle and then turn it into a joke. One thing that i also love about Dave style of comedy is that he never looks like someone desperately trying to prove that he is funny like some other comedians do, making faces and trying to force being funny to get a reaction. He just tells a story in a completely relaxed voice and then lets the audience react. That confidence is probably one of the reasons his comedy feels so different from a lot of modern stand-up. There are also several moments where the special feels more like Dave telling stories than performing a traditional stand up routine. He talks about people he has met, experiences from his career and his perspective on fame. Some of these stories are hilarious simply because of the way he tells them, even now as im typing this, im reading it in his own voice and how he speaks. Lol!
I really enjoy watching Dave perform, hes an artist at what he does, hes simply a genius and i wish he would do ten more specials. His style of comedy is just so mature and a breath of fresh air to be honest and that is exactly what The Dreamer feels like. It feels like an experienced comedian who knows he doesn't have to rush. I also liked the fact that underneath all the controversy, there is a surprisingly reflective side to the special. Dave talks about his dreams and what it means to have spent so much of his life doing comedy. There is a sense that he is looking back at the journey rather than simply trying to convince us that he is still the funniest person in the room. For the ending, Dave finishes the special in a way that fits the entire idea behind The Dreamer. After all the jokes and controversial moments, there is still this feeling of someone looking back at the life he imagined when he was younger and realizing how strange the journey has been but how it was all worth it at the end of the day. The Dreamer isn't going to be for everyone. If you don't like controversial comedy, there are definitely going to be moments where you will probably roll your eyes or wonder why he went there and at the end of the day, for some Daves style of comedy might not be for everyone but for me its a work of art, its like watching a magician perform his magic.
Rating: 80/100
