Product Description

' 'The funniest man in America' ' according to Time magazine and Vanity Fair, presents an hour of ' 'riotously funny' ' (Entertainment Weekly) and ' 'breathtakingly provocative' ' (Chicago Sun-Times) outstanding stand-up comedy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12688 in DVD
• Brand: HBO HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2000-01-18
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 65 minutes

Amazon.com
Comedian Chris Rock makes a raucous return to his stand-up roots in this HBO special filmed at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater. Despite his manic and profane delivery, Rock's comedy is often rooted in traditional subjects for comedians: family relationships, misunderstandings between men and women, and observations on how childhood has changed. But he takes his material right to the edge, proving himself to be a sharp-eyed satirist. Serious and timely issues, such as school shootings or children being neglected by partying parents, are tackled by Rock, who's not afraid to slip in a serious point while being hysterically funny. His defense of President Clinton against his accusers is a good example of how Rock's material is almost always bound to offend someone: he slices through the self-righteous rhetoric of the impeachment spectacle, but even the behavior he defends comes in for ridicule with jokes that are extremely funny as well as extremely coarse. The pace of this one-hour show is uneven, and some viewers will no doubt find Rock's penchant for using profanity as punctuation tiresome. But those who like intelligent comedy with a hard edge will find much to laugh at in Chris Rock: Bigger and Blacker. -- Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Rock On!
Chris Rock follows up his 1996 hit "Bring the Pain" with another hilarious 1-hr routine. As always, Chris serves up his brutally honest opinions on the social and political nightmares we live in today. In this performance you'll find him tackling school gun violence, the plight of Native Americans, Ricky Martin, delinquent parents, racism, police brutality, incurable diseases, taxes, and a host of other issues. What makes Chris Rock so hilarious is that his commentary not only rings true but hits upon feelings and thoughts most of us have but are often afraid to express in today's "politically correct" atmosphere. Plus, Chris' naturally funny-looking physical appearance adds color to his performance. As with many other comedians, Chris Rock ends up spending a great deal of time on cliche comedian fodder such as sex and man-woman relationships. Thankfully, Chris Rock has managed to avoid tired old jokes and put hilarious new spins on these topics.

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".

Incredible Performance By Chris Rock
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'?
`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!