'Jesus is Magic' review
Sarah Silverman creates her own magic with her hilariously unorthodox stand-up that makes everything that's PC go "poof!" into thin air.
By Sara Grace McCandless
Published: November 21st, 2005 | 3:29pm
<img alt="jesusismagic.jpg" src="http://venuszine.com/stories/jesusismagic.jpg" width="250" height="141" hspace="5" align="left" />I would really like to invite Sarah Silverman over for Thanksgiving dinner. I can only imagine the expressions on the faces of my family as this pretty girl with glossy dark hair, lovely porcelain skin, and a sincerely sweet smile enjoys a forkful of stuffing while tossing out a remark such as, "The best time to have a baby is when you’re a black teenager."
It’s commentary like this that provides the meat and potatoes of<i>Jesus is Magic</i>, Silverman’s first concert film which features a brand of comedy that is as inventive as it is unorthodox. For those who have trouble leaving the delicate zone of politically correct confines, take note. Silverman rolls through taboo topics as though she’s recapping her week at the office over a couple of lattes — sex, religion ("I was raped by a doctor…which is so bittersweet for a Jewish girl"), racism, AIDS, 9/11… even the Holocaust is fair game. The sarcasm in her delivery is nearly seamless, so undoubtedly there will be those who miss the point and come out of the theater in a complete outrage. It’s happened before — during the film, Silverman reflects about the fallout after she used a derogatory Asian slang word during a television appearance. Of course, she manages to put her trademark subversive spin on the incident itself, adding, "What kind of world do we live in where a totally cute white girl can’t say ‘chink’ on network television? It’s like the Fifties — totally scary. As a member of the Jewish community, I was really concerned that we were losing control of the media."
This is definitely not traditional stand-up by any means — the concert footage is intertwined with original songs and skits, including a show-stopping encore featuring a rendition of "Amazing Grace" you aren’t soon to forget. And <i>Jesus is Magic</i> isn’t without faults — at certain points, the marks fall a bit flat, largely because the approach starts to feel the same every time.
But there’s no denying that Silverman is a charming tour de force. Her creativity, talent, and impeccable timing all support the argument that she’s easily one of the most underrated female performers in the industry today — despite nearly 15 years of paying her dues (credits include <i>School of Rock</i>, frequent appearances on Comedy Central, and even an early stint on <i>Saturday Night Live</i>). Love it or loathe it, <i>Jesus is Magic</i> should finally help expand Silverman’s visibility, and as far as I’m concerned, she’s welcome at my family dinner table, birthday party, or garage sale any day of the week.
<i>Image courtesy of Black Gold Films</i>
Issue #26
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