"Big Ass Jokes" is a 25-minute comedy stand-up special from 1994, so this one has its 25th anniversary next year and it features African American comedian Chris Rock a little while before his breakthrough as an actor. Rock's comedy is always very loud and very much about stereotypes, but this approach here isn't him at his best yet. But as he was not even 30, it is easy to forgive him. The potential he had back then is clearly visible at times, but the material and sometimes also the delivery are not yet good enough in terms of both quality quantity, even for a special that stays comfortably under the 20-minute mark. Rock is maybe my favorite Oscars host from the last decade and I really like about him that he offers so much more than just the usual victim routine, some pretty funny stuff at times. If mediocre outings like the one we got here were necessary to turn him into who he is today, then I am glad this was made, even if I would only recommend it to the really very biggest stand-up routine fans out there. Everybody else won't be missing too much, especially the pretty cringeworthy ways in which the audience overreacted. Don't watch.

I liked this special. It showcased Chris Rock's comedy during his transition period (between SNL and his big comedy and movie career sprang). Here, we see much of his earlier material (not for kids, I'm not sure) and it is laugh out loud hilarious. Great fun. Especially is you're a Rock fan. A