Incannerax
What a waste of my time!!!
Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Majorthebys
Charming and brutal
Wyatt
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
tedg
As a break from long form narrative, I have been watching a lot of films of standup comics. It is one of the most puzzling things I have done recently. Nothing tells you more in a short time about someone than what they find funny. Part of that is the structure of the humor, the core of what I've been studying. But it is worth remarking that some component is what we want to believe is funny. Some of that is physical group dynamics; we join in groups in order to laugh. A related affiliation is incorporated into the humor -- race and class comedians exploit this. Sometimes you leave just feeling dirty afterwards by the association.I think Chris Rock brilliantly exploits this by alternately seducing us into joining a group and then allowing us to make fun of ourselves for doing so. Izzard works with a quite different sort of humor. I think I will characterize it as similar to Rock, but instead of joining a group, he tricks us into joining a narrative or reminding us of a narrative we already joined. Then instead of directly making fun of it or us, he takes it seriously to an extreme. This allows us to think we are laughing at him rather than ourselves, removing that barrier of ironic self-loathing. Underscoring this is his persona as a self-hating, ugly transvestite. Being a successful standup comic must be one of the hardest, most fragile things you can do. If you can do it and have the audience leave actually feeling better -- well, that is a gift.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
seawellk
One of the best comedians ever. I've seen this show about 10 times and will probably watch it at least 100 more. My friends and family quote from this DVD so often, you'd think we did nothing other than watch it. The beginning part about Alcatraz is a little bit slow, but either wade through it or zip on through to the part where Eddie is on stage. Watch for the "Cake or Death" part (Joking about the Church of England) and the "Hitler/Pol Pot" part (Hard to explain, just watch it). The best part of the show may be Eddie's facial expressions. He can really say a lot with his eyes. (Mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow probably help, huh?) Fair warning: Eddie does have a tendency to throw a lot of four-letter words in.
iwhitewood
There are only two all time greats of stand up comedy as far as I can see, and they shall be remembered for all eternity. Woody Allen is one, and Eddie Izzard is the other. The rest can only scramble for the crumbs these two throw away. If you need proof then I suggest you get hold of a copy of 'Dress to Kill' and prepare to be amazed. Although his act is awash with English slang, and tall tales are delivered in fluent French, Eddie has the audience in the palm of his hand from the start. What's so fascinating is the mixture of bewilderment and joy they experience. It's as though they have no choice in the matter. They're even happy to be reprimanded for not knowing their own American history. This from an Englishman! What I find so remarkable is the fact that, like Woody Allen, I don't find myself howling with laughter. It seems beyond that somehow. I watched a box set DVD recently of David Bowie. The word 'sublime' came to mind, and then 'Eddie Izzard' Enjoy.
the_buffster
This is an excellent stand-up DVD! Eddie Izzard is the funniest person I have seen in years. His routine is hilarious and makes for great conversation with others who have seen it. I HIGHLY recommend this one. The part about the history of Europe is a bit slow, but the ending jokes in French are quite good, because you don't have to speak French to get it (although if you do, it is still hilarious). Also, the parts about being a transvestite are quite good. The first scene (about San Francisco) is not great, but funny the first time. Skip over those if you can. It's almost not worth watching. However, this really is a funny, funny stand-up show that everyone should see. "I was dead at the time!"