Chris Rock Leads “When Harry Met Sally” Script Reading At Netflix Is A Joke Festival

Pictured L-R: Tim Meadows, Ali Leroi, Tracie Thoms, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sarah Jones, Chris Rock, Jannelle James & Jay Pharoah. Photo credit: Ron Terrell.

When Harry Met Sally is pretty universally agreed upon as being a perfect romantic comedy. The film has been a mainstay since its 1989 release for romantics everywhere. That doesn’t mean that you can’t add your own twist to it, though.

That's what Chris Rock set out to do with the film. He held court at the Hollywood Palladium for two nights during the Netflix is a Joke Festival. During these two nights, he brought with him an impressive array of performers that includes Tracee Ellis Ross, Sanaa Lathan, Janelle James, Tim Meadows, Tracie Thoms, Jay Pharoah, Sarah Jones, Ali LeRoi, Skye Townsend, Alexandra Shipp, Jay Ellis, Malcolm Barrett, Robert Glasper, and more.

Things started off on the night we were there with a surprise introduction from Dave Chappelle. Chappelle commented that this was the only show he was doing at the festival - aside from a few drop-ins at The Comedy Store. He didn’t say much, as he wandered the stage for a minute or two. He did reflect on working with Nora Ephron briefly while making You’ve Got Mail.

After that, Rock came out with the entire cast. The night included a fun and lively reading of the script from start to finish. Pretty quickly, it did become apparent that Rock had rewritten certain aspects of the dialogue. This became clear during the Lizzo and Tucker Carlson references, specifically.

Surprisingly, the new additions managed to work. It was an effective way to adapt the film for both a modern and an African American cast. It never interfered with the story or the film we all know and love. Instead, it just built upon that established foundation. And it became an enjoyable experience as an audience member.

After the reading, we definitely left thinking if Chris Rock decided to remake the film, it would 100% work.