Chris Rock: Selective Outrage Review 2023 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
Chris Rock opens his show with a few jokes about woke and cancel culture, but whatever hopes he raises are soon dashed as Rock never veers too close to real controversy. In fact the middle line is where he stays for most of the show, with mildly amusing jokes on one side, and anecdotes on the other. And the anecdotes are something the viewer may or may not find entertaining.
Through Rock name drops, offers shout outs to other celebrities and indulges in rounds of self congratulation, these things are not amusing, or entertainment. Inviting an audience to cheer name recognition or success never is, it’s just cheap. In the part of the show where he talks about his wealth Rock is too clearly imitating Dave Chappelle (who he also name drops), and Rock only suffers by the comparison.
The anecdotes Rock tells (instead of jokes) are also oddly personal rather than funny, and one has to question why he included them. They are certainly not funny enough to warrant the close attention needed to follow them. This is strange as it is the type of material one would expect from a novice comedian who might unwisely rely on a story about their race or social status in place of a well crafted joke. In the current climate its the sort of thing an audience might feel a duty to clap for rather than laugh at. It is the sort of fare one might expect to see from ‘inclusive’ TV comedy, rather than the in the repertoire of a comedy master. On the evidence of this show Rock has certainly lost his edge.
He does get to Will Smith, and this is the strongest material in the show. But it is only the last 10 minutes, which makes the preceding show look like a lot of formulaic padding.
