This comedy special is a cultural cannonball.
Dave Chapelle aims at every sacred cow grazing the internet.
It’s also got the biggest discrepancy between user and critic ratings I’ve ever seen for a film.
Users loved it…critics hated it.
I’m on the side of the fans!
I recently reviewed “Chris Rock: Bring the Pain” (I ranked it 96/100!). That special is about resurrection (Rock was coming off a career lull).
Chappelle’s “The Closer” is more of a closing argument — cementing that Chappelle is a legend.
Trailer for “Dave Chappelle: The Closer”
Watch “Dave Chappelle: The Closer”
You can watch “Dave Chappelle: The Closer” on Netflix here.
If you don’t have Netflix, this here appears to be 29 minutes of “The Closer”:
Ratings:
- My Rating: 94/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 95/100 (Users); 40/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Stan Lathan directed this 72-minute comedy special. He’s worked with Chappelle for decades and directed all six of his Netflix specials.
Release Date: October 5, 2021
My Review of “Dave Chappelle: The Closer”
The Setup
“The Closer” is the final chapter in Dave Chappelle’s six-part Netflix series, and it swings for the fences. He addresses the LGBTQ+ community, cancel culture, race, COVID, and his own reputation head-on—with no interest in backing down.
He opens with jokes about pronouns and ends with a long, emotional story about Daphne Dorman, a transgender comedian who defended him online before dying by suicide. Along the way, he skewers public outrage, contradictions in cancel culture, and America’s racial double standards.
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Chappelle pitches a sci-fi movie called “Space Jews,” where Jews leave Earth and return thousands of years later as aliens to reclaim the planet.
- He wrote a fake children’s book series called “Clifford the Big Black N!gger,” where Clifford is shot by police in every single book. It’s never explained or contextualized—just dropped like a comedic grenade.
Funniest Bits
- “Is it one ‘they’ or many ‘they’?” — His breakdown of plural pronouns is so sharply written it gets laughs even as it pokes a live wire.
- The DaBaby joke — He tells the story of rapper DaBaby—whose career survived shooting a man in a North Carolina Walmart, but almost ended over homophobic remarks. This works because of its deadpan delivery and brutal juxtaposition: real violence gets a pass, but homophobic comments don’t.
- “Space Jews” — Equal parts insane and brilliant. It draws gasps and laughs in the same breath.
More Highlights from the Doc
- He compares the treatment of Black people vs. gay people in America: “You can shoot and kill a Black man, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings.”
- Aligns himself with J.K. Rowling and calls himself “Team TERF,” saying “gender is a fact” and likening transitioning to “wearing blackface.”
- Talks about his friendship with trans comedian Daphne Dorman. After her suicide, he set up a college fund for her daughter and pledged to stop joking about the LGBTQ+ community—unless it’s clear they’re laughing together.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Chappelle implies that online backlash against Dorman—after she defended him—played a role in her suicide.
- He says Dorman once told him that *he* was the one being “punched down on” by internet mobs—flipping the usual narrative.
- Some critics panned the special without watching it—something Chappelle directly addresses during the set.
Wrap Up
This special isn’t for everyone—but if you believe context matters in comedy, “The Closer” hits hard and leaves a mark.
I don’t agree with every line, but I side with the audience score: it’s funny, bold, and at times, deeply human.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc