Dave Chappelle’s people don’t want anybody to review his new “Untitled” documentary project. That’s a weird call, considering that the film — an impressive account of how the comedian found a way t…
— presents a very different, far more flattering side of Chappelle from the one being raked over the coals since “The Closer” debuted last month on Netflix.
Those gatherings, designed to overcome the fear and uncertainty felt during the early days of the pandemic, are the focus of the “Untitled” documentary, which the comedian seems proud to share with his supporters. But not the press, which is why I had to resort to booking a trip to San Francisco in order to review a film that’s being seen by packed auditoriums of people.
By bringing “Untitled” directly to his base, Chappelle is testing a relatively unprecedented release strategy for a documentary: Though audiences are essentially paying to see him and whichever “friends” he brings along, Chappelle is making the film the main attraction, screening “Untitled” between live comedy and music performances, with tickets selling for a few hundred dollars a pop.
Leaning on locals Steve and Stacey Wirrig, who agreed to let him use their abandoned cornfield, Chappelle found a way to host nightly stand-up shows for 100 or so socially distanced fans at a time. Drawing from the same impressive Rolodex he uses for his arena shows, Chappelle welcomed a staggering roster of fellow comics — a list that ranged from Chris Rock to Michael Che. The pitch: Fly to Ohio for a day or longer and perform alongside him on stage, maybe even do some canoeing while in town.
Directors Reichert and Bognar observe as every new arrival, no matter how famous, submits to the indignity of having a COVID swab jabbed up their skull — “My nose just got Harvey Weinsteined,” Chappelle jokes — before they’re allowed to join the bubble. “Quarantine’s a mindset,” observes Jon Stewart, who flies in from New York and seems hesitant to remove his mask around the others, while looking positively elated to have his “first multi-human conversation in months.
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