A lot of "black" movies roll off the entertainment assembly line these days, loud and colorful and full of “flava,” but few of them feel as genuinely steeped in the sheer love of all things African-American as Dave Chappelle's 'Block Party.' A true blend of genres -- concert film meets comedy flick meets documentary -- 'Block Party' (which could just as easily be called ‘Black Party’) resonates with a rhythmic force that manages to be, in a surprising variety of ways, both hard-hitting and tender-hearted.

Early in the film, directed by Michel Gondry, comedian Dave Chappelle describes the block party he’s planning to host in Brooklyn as “the concert he always wanted to see”. Top-heavy with some of hip hop’s most socially conscious artists -- ranging from Talib Kweli, and dead prez, to Common, Erykah Badu and the Fugees -- the concert of Chappelle’s dreams threatens at first to play like some low-rent East Coast version of Wattstax, but avoids such a fate by the sheer force of Chappelle’s ultra-ironic laid-back-ness. At the end of the day, as serious as some of the artists are, a feel-good vibe permeates the scene with blazing high spirits. Your head may be nodding to the beats of the music, but your heart gets caught up in the beats of the film.

As hot as the performances are, played out on a small stage constructed on a Bed-Stuy street, it’s the between-song moments that give ‘Block Party’ a lot of its energy. From the on-location bits in Chappelle’s native Ohio, where he presents unwitting folks (white and black, young and old) with Willy Wonka-styled “golden tickets” to the concert and invites Ohio Central State University’s marching band to open the show, to the only-in-NYC moments, like a visit to Junior’s restaurant and the up-close-and-personal interview with rapper L’il Cease, Block Party is infused with an infectious generosity of spirit that propels the plotless movie forward with a genuine what-next? rhythm. And scenes between Chappelle and The Roots’ drummer?uestlove, talking music and comedy and life, give ‘Block Party’ a center that holds tight, even in the hurricane of activity that hovers around it.

But the people in the crowd are there for the music and ‘Block Party’ never skimps on the performance footage. Gondry’s music-video background serves him well and he creates a nice pace and rhythm, mixing rehearsal scenes and backstage prep with on-stage, real-time performances that emphasize free-style flow and gonzo spontaneity. High points include Kanye West and Mos Def’s ‘Two Words’, the marching band joining West for a rousing ‘Jesus Walks’, a raw ‘Move Somethin’’, featuring Talib Kweli, Common and Mos Def, and The Roots’ ‘You Got Me’, featuring both Erykah Badu (who sang on the original) and Jill Scott (who co-wrote the song). Scott’s solo shot, soul-shouting her way through ‘The Way’, is a little masterpiece, a thing of sonic beauty. If Dame Judi Dench can win an Oscar for donning Queen Elizabeth make-up and hamming her way through seven minutes of ‘Shakespeare in Love,’ Jill Scott should at least get an Oscar nod for the way she mesmerizes the crowd with her own royal voice and presence.

For an hour and fifteen minutes or so, ‘Block Party’ is a real delight, fun and loose-limbed -- but the final fifteen minutes or so, however, flatten out into something more conventional with the “surprise” appearance of the Fugees, in a vaunted “reunion” of sorts.

But that’s a quibble. ‘Block Party’ survives the onslaught of Wyclef’s ego and still manages to keep something real and heartfelt at its core. Always crowd-pleasing and full of palpable love, it plays almost like an urban version of the 60s hippie musical ‘Hair’ (made into a Milos Forman film in the late 70s), with Chappelle portraying the merry, wise-cracking ringleader Berger as well as Claude, the shy guy looking on with wonder. This may not be the Age of Aquarius, but it definitely feels like a new age of “black” movies, even if indirectly informed by all the news Dave Chappelle has made lately, post-‘Half-Baked,’ post-‘the Chappelle Show’, post-Africa.

Finally, a brotha who doesn’t need to be a mogul and only wants to be an artist. Finally, a brotha who appreciates music enough that he can play ‘Round Midnight’ and ‘Misty’ on the piano just to chill himself out. Finally a brotha who doesn’t just want to make you laugh but wants to spread something that feels like actual joy.

Imagine that.