Reviewer Roundup |
1. |
 | Harvey Karten |
 | review follows |
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2. |
| Steve Rhodes |
| read the review |
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Review by Harvey Karten
2½ stars out of 4
his is the kind of movie that evokes the age-old argument
about film criticism: What does a journalist do when he screens
stand-up comedy that is not targeted to his sense of humor? I
think we'd be dishonest if in the interests of political correctness
we insist that humor is universal: that one-man shows by Jackie
Mason or Richard Pryor, to single out two great comics, could
be appreciated equally by all cultures in America. In fact if
either of these two comic geniuses tried to universalize their
shtick, they would dull their edge so much that they'd be lucky to
evoke a couple of smiles.
Take Margaret Cho as another example. Her comic timing is
impeccable. Her facial expressions are on the money every
time. She keeps her live audience in the case of the show
"Notorious C.H.O." which was filmed from her Seattle
performance virtually rolling in the aisles. But both before and
after the on-stage performance, director Lorene Machado's
camera person Kirk Miller, scans the audience for commentary,
and what we in the movie crowd is a collection of rather
flamboyant types gays, trannies, lesbians--whose appearance
and commentary signal us that they are not attending an
Episcopal church service.
Given the live audience reactions to Ms. Cho's commentary,
one might gather that the comedian could say "fresh fish" and
garner louder laughs than have been heard on the soundtrack
of a Bill Cosby TV show. Ms. Cho is so talented, so articulate in
her repartee of gags that I was hoping that at some point I could
tune in: perhaps some mocking of President Bush's reactionary
domestic policy or of ex-President Clinton's foibles; maybe a
dressing down of terrorists that could make even the leaders of
Hamas grin in self-recognition. But sexual humor and not
political satire is her thing except in the one instance that she
comes out in favor of legalized unions of gays and lesbians who
should be free "to put their names into any bridal registry."
"Sometimes straight men freak out when I talk about my
period, but I guarantee if straight men had a period, you would
never hear the end of it. They would be using old socks, coffee
filters...Oh let me get the sports section when you're done." She
draws a favorable reaction when she hones in on the G-Spot,
which she pretends to be absolutely unable to find. "There's a
spot in there that if you get it just right, its' like ding, ding, ding,
ding ding! And you win a stuffed animal!"
There was a time that movies would signal the sexual
intentions of the (always straight) couples on the screen by a
sunset. When the sun went down, the actors, we all
understood, were going at it. For decades now, the pendulum
has swung the other way, as witness "American Pie," "There's
Something About Mary," and the like. This is why I wonder how
an audience could react so strongly to Ms. Cho's bits. You'd
think they had never heard such risque humor before, live, on
the stage.
To her credit, Margaret Cho never gets doe-eyed sentimental,
even when talking about her mom and dad who appear
together at a pre-show interview or when pondering the state of
this hate-filled world. "I urge you all today to love yourselves
without reservation and to love each other without
restraint unless you're into leather. Then by all means use
restraints.
If you're part of Cho's targeted group, I think you'll love the
show.
Copyright © 2002 Harvey Karten
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