- Network: Netflix
- Series Premiere Date: Oct 5, 2021
Critic Reviews
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It’s Dave Chappelle. This special really is geared toward people who have been paying attention to his previous performances. ... Chappelle clearly wants to go out with a bang. If he meant his YouTube special (8:46) as his own rallying cry that Black Lives Matter, and his IG videos as a way to show other entertainers how to fight for their own rights, then he intends for The Closer to blaze a path for other stand-up comedians to survive and thrive in this moment when anyone and everyone feels they can try to “cancel” you over your words.
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The Closer toggles between two modes: aggressive gags about Chappelle’s antagonists, and feeble protests that he never said anything prejudiced in the first place. There’s also much self-regarding commentary on how brave he’s being.
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If you feel like people complain about comedy too much, you’ll love this special for addressing most of the criticism leveled at Chappelle’s recent work, however speciously. If you only wanted to get through one of these without a long, crabby detour on gay people and gender identity, Closer’s designed to work your nerves. ... This time, he’s going for the predictable jabs and rehashing takes that were old hat five years ago. His head is up his ass. He needs new ideas.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 49 out of 64
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Mixed: 2 out of 64
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Negative: 13 out of 64
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Oct 10, 2021Chappelle seems a little bit too concerned with past criticism here and isn't really saying anything new that he hasn't said in his past few specials.
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Oct 8, 2021He takes the mic out of everything like a comedian should. Does not hold back and that's what makes him good.
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Oct 12, 2021