This lively concert film doesn’t look like a Michel Gondry movie. After all, the plot — man puts on concert, people attend in droves — is comprehensible. But look closer, and he’s transformed another extended music video into a gleeful celebration of music and comedy.
What gives the film its layers is the refusal to cut straight to the music, and the chronological skipping from comedy stylings to musical performances to preparation, allowing the viewer to share the atmosphere of the day.
Which isn’t to say that the music is shortchanged. An entire generation of socially conscious artists show why hip hop’s the most exciting musical form around. If you can avoid tapping a toe, you might want your hearing checked.