On March 4, Chris Rock dropped his latest one-hour special with Netflix, “Selective Outrage.”
The star comedian steps onto the stage dressed in a pristine white outfit with his sleeves rolled up, slick but casual-cool, and up to the microphone with the ferocity of a hell-fire southern preacher.
With the energy and hunger of his younger self, Rock taps into his youthful rage, the Chris we knew from 27 years ago. I’m talking about peak-Rock in his prime at the release of ‘Bring Da Pain’ in 1996.
Rock lampoons modern culture and young people while pointing out the absurdities of an attention-seeking society. With heavy undertones of social commentary, Rock calls out hypocrisy in the current social zeitgeist.
In his new special, Rock is opinionated, stubborn, raw, a bit offensive and unapologetic.
Love or hate this approach, the best art in history has always been thought provoking.
A societal mirror.
If you are willing to listen to someone you may very well disagree with, I think you may just see the writer’s brilliance in the use of metaphors, and the hilarity within the absurdist performance itself.
Chris Rock brings material that appears to be well thought-out, well-written and carefully executed. From the U.S. involvement with Ukraine, the polarization of both Republican and the Democratic parties and being a father of girls, Rock’s thoughts and ideas pour into his act.
“Ukraine is united and America is divided,” Rock stated in his banter before concluding his point.
“If the Russians came here right now, half of the country would go; ‘Let’s hear ‘em out’,” said Rock, followed by laughter.
Finally toward the end, near the last nine minutes, Rock gets to the subject we all were dying to hear him skewer: the incident at the Oscars. The slap heard ‘round the world.
Will & Jada P. Smith. Rock fires-off at the ridiculous reaction (or lack thereof) by the industry following the moments directly after being assaulted on national television.
Not only does Rock dive into the subject at large, but he tactfully dissects the people involved in the moment, including his reaction and feelings afterwards.
“Everybody knows I had nothing to do with [the motive for the slap]. I didn’t have any entanglements,” Rock said, taking shots at the Smiths in response to the reasoning behind Will Smith’s disdain.
“We’ve all been cheated on. Everybody in here; been cheated on. None of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us, on television! None of us!” Rock exclaimed before executing a hilarious punchline to drive home his point.
Comedy is subjective, so it will not be for everyone. Whether you take offense to some of the premises, his commentary, or genuinely don’t have the same sense of humor, I still believe “Selective Outrage” was a successful performance by a master craftsman.
Love him or hate him, his talent and skill as an entertainer shines through his bright pearly smile and his fresh white-fit. The polar opposite of his black attire worn in ‘96, it feels like nothing was unintentional and here we have come full circle.
“Opioids are not the biggest addiction in America. No. Not even close, man. The biggest addiction in America is attention.” — Chris Rock, ‘Selective Outrage’, Netflix (2023).