Chris Rock’s live comedy special wants to be electric, but Netflix’s first attempt at the form fails to meet its own moment.
have been — the potential excitement of live reactions from the audience, of Rock’s performative vivacity, of commentary about a shocking pop-cultural event layered on top of the new-to-Netflix live streaming element. What if something went wrong onstage? What if an audience member did something disruptive? On paper, it all seems thrilling and possibly combustible.
No one could be blamed for missing that element of it, or any of the other places where Rock attempts to carve out more interesting versions of stale setups. For one, jokes that feel like they come from everywhere at once are always going to run exactly that risk: A listening ear hears a stock topic and then tunes out rather than leans in.
Yet the biggest and most frustrating misstep is the direction of the special itself. Director Joel Gallen’s credits include numerous live award shows, and that was the visual language he brought to Rock’s performance. Cameras are locked to Rock’s face and tracking along with his body as he strode back and forth on the stage, blocking out all sense of scale and any energy from the audience, despite the audience-reaction shots peppered throughout.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Chris Rock: Selective Outrage’ Review: Despite Scathing Will Smith Material, Live Netflix Special Feels Conspicuously CannedThe comic addressed Will Smith and wokeness in his new comedy special, which aired live with a pre-show and post-show.
Read more »
Chris Rock rips Will Smith’s ‘selective outrage’ and ‘entaglements’ in Netflix specialRock pulled no punches while addressing Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and the Oscars slap during his Netflix comedy special Saturday.
Read more »
Chris Rock tackles 'selective outrage' and Oscars slap in live Netflix special | CNNChris Rock finally addressed the Oscars slap and made Netflix history, with the platform’s first live global streaming event.
Read more »
Chris Rock talks Will Smith Oscar slap and 'selective outrage' in new comedy specialA year after Will Smith smacked him on-stage at the Academy Awards, Chris Rock finally gave his rebuttal in a forceful stand-up special, which was streamed live on Netflix.
Read more »
Netflix's 'Chris Rock: Selective Outrage' reveals a lot of anger for Will SmithAlmost a year later, Chris Rock is still seething about 'The Slap' and he told an audience how much he now despises Will and Jada Pinkett Smith
Read more »