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Cute, but dirty
Reviewer's Bias*
The Show Taking the stage at he Fillmore n San Francisco, Schumer wastes no time making sure you know where she's coming from with a bit about having sex with high-school kids, before talking about the morning-after pill, AIDS and semen. Though she does get into topics like the challenges of being a woman, dating and the problems with bathroom attendants, she doesn't stray far from the less acceptable stuff, be it the predictability of porn, an extended it about pubic hair and the people who make a career out of it, or her many jokes about race.
Though Schumer is often funny while being filthy, utilizing Wendy Liebman-like redirects to surprise the crowd, along with plenty of '80s references and some decent crowd work, she's at her best when she's telling stories. Obviously capable of painting a graphic picture, as evidenced by her descriptions of genitals, she's just as good in long-form, as her finale about her friends and a game of confessions gone wrong proves clearly. However, your enjoyment of her set (which ends with a seven-minute encore Q&A that never really gets off the ground) depends on how comfortable you are with controversial content. For a comic whose act is peppered with boasts and self-aggrandizing gags (not unlike the stage persona of her one-time boyfriend Anthony Jeselnik) Schumer has a decidedly off-balanced set, developing little to no momentum thanks to frequent pauses. At one point, thanks to some crowd work, she loses focus to such a degree that she has to be reminded by the audience what she was talking about (which admittedly results in an amusingly absurd moment.) It's a touch uncomfortable to follow as she awkwardly segues from thought to thought (even if most of them are on the same topic.) Perhaps she was just having an off day, because the extras tell a very different story.
The DVD
The Quality Oh forget it. No matter how many times I complain about Comedy Central's simplistic Dolby Digital 2.0 stand-up tracks, they keep pumping them out. At least these center-balanced tracks consistently sound good, with clear dialogue and appropriate separation between Schumer and the audience.
The Extras The other extra is a short (2:12) featurette with Schumer and her sister, who walks around talking to her sibling's fans before the show. All I'll say is Amy seems to have received all the comedy talent in the family.
The Bottom Line |