critics consensus

Edgy, but empty, Sticks and Stones won't break any bones, but it won't elicit many laughs, either. Read critic reviews

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Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones Photos

View All Photos (4)

Movie Info

Dave Chappelle takes on gun culture, the opioid crisis and the tidal wave of celebrity scandals in a defiant stand-up special filmed in Atlanta.

Genre:

comedy, stand up
Director:

Stan Lathan
Writer:

Dave Chappelle
Release Date (Streaming):

Aug 26, 2019
Runtime:

1h 5m

Cast & Crew

Dave Chappelle

Stan Lathan
Director

Dave Chappelle
Writer

News & Interviews for Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones

1917‘s Sam Mendes Wins Best Director at 2020 Directors Guild Awards, Cements Place As Oscar Favorite

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Critic Reviews for Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones

All Critics (17) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (11)

Sticks and Stones registers as a temper tantrum, the product of a man who wants it all -- money, fame, influence -- without much having to answer to anyone.

September 10, 2019 | Full Review…

Hannah Giorgis
The Atlantic
Sticks & Stones exists as a defiant design to intentionally offend large swaths of the audience Chappelle deems too thin-skinned and easily outraged.. while serving up simple, low-bar yucks to anyone yearning for validation of their anti-P.C. stance.

September 5, 2019 | Full Review…

Melanie McFarland
Salon.com
Sticks and Stones is designed to generate inflammatory coverage... It's a symbiotic cycle with no end in sight, and it's become the last thing a beloved provocateur should ever want to be: predictable.

August 29, 2019 | Full Review…

Alison Herman
The Ringer
Like dropping in on a rascally uncle who doesn't know, or doesn't care, how much he's disappointing you.

August 27, 2019 | Full Review…

Inkoo Kang
Slate
Chappelle is fascinating, sophisticated, and what sets him apart, fearless.

September 20, 2019 | Full Review…

Anne Brodie
What She Said
There were moments in this special that I can get behind, but there were others that I'm shocked that Netflix gave the go-ahead to.

September 12, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Phumlani S Langa
City Press (South Africa)
[O]verall, I found the special funny, entertaining, and yes... very edgy. But more importantly, I felt like in the end, the world of comedy benefited from it.

September 9, 2019 | Rating: 10/10 | Full Review…

Dante James
Film Threat
You've got our attention, pal. You just haven't delivered the funny.

September 8, 2019 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…

Roger Moore
Movie Nation
Sticks & Stones leaves the audience with the sense that there was more work to be done before the special was filmed.

September 6, 2019 | Full Review…

Dan Hamamura
Pajiba
Ultimately, though, it feels like stale work from a comedian who was once known for truly boundary-pushing comedy - the kind that actually understood nuance, particularly where famous and powerful men were concerned.

September 6, 2019 | Full Review…

Laura Bradley
Vanity Fair
Lacking empathy can certainly be amusing, but Sticks & Stones is a tired routine by a man who forgot to layer jokes into his act, too often sounding like a pundit on Fox News.

September 4, 2019 | Full Review…

Ian Thomas Malone
Ian Thomas Malone
He's one of the few comedians who can really touch on a lot of different sensitive topics and still make it funny.

September 4, 2019 | Full Review…

John Nguyen
Nerd Reactor