Rating: Summary: I'm a "Cho Hag" Review: Just amazing. This is not only a performance of fabulous comedy, but also makes a number of important statements about our prejudices concerning weight, race, sexuality, and gender. It's no accident that Margaret's comedy is being used as an educational tool in many universities today. This one is not to be missed.
Rating: Summary: groundbreaking, hilarious & subversive Review: As an Asian-American I only wish that there were more Margaret Chos out there, female and male...such a powerful counterpoint to the "Model Minority" stereotype of Asians as submissive and faceless conformists and techno/corporate coolies. There's no doubt about it: this lady is hilarious, her facial expressions are just comedic gold, her graphic humor and acerbic wit devastating. In a nutshell, she has verve, and she has COJONES! Her jokes revolve around sex, admiration of gay men, racism and sexism...it's mostly the second that distinguishes her from most comics, who still tend to lean towards the homophobic side. Towards the end there is a bit of a confessional that flirts with self-pity and then syrupy self-help, but that's a small thing compared to the rest of this side-splitting movie. I'm ordering a copy for my very "proper" sister, who more closely fits the impeccable Yuppy suburbanite Asian stereotype...will relish watching it again with her, to see all the squiriming but also the shocked laughter.
Rating: Summary: Painfully hilarous Review: Comedian Margaret Cho brings SF Bay Area culture to the masses, giving bawdy, multiculti pansexualism a very funny, and very recognizable voice. Cho delves deep into the depressing details of her brush with mainstream fame, when the ABC television network cast her as The Star Of The First Asian-American Female Sitcom... and then proceeded to tear apart at the very identity it found so compelling. Meanwhile, she gets in all sorts of brilliant observations about Korean-American identity and the joys of being a big ole fruit fly. She's hella funny and very, very Bay Area.
Rating: Summary: brilliant, hilarious and heart-breaking Review: Margaret Cho's comedy is laugh out loud funny while at the same time she manages to breaks your heart. Her autobiografical tale would be tragic if she weren't so skilled at finding the humour in even the darkest moments! She's an incredibly talented, smart, inspiring woman. This film is a must see for EVERYONE -- but especially for those who feel marginalized because of their race, ethnicity, size, sexual orientation or for whatever other reason!
Rating: Summary: Funny and full of feeling! Review: I had never seen any of Margaret Cho's work before, so I didn't know what to expect aside from what I read on the reviews. She is different from other stand-up comics that I have seen. She talked a lot about not only the funny things that have happened in her life, but the serious things too. (Once in a while, it actually looks like she might cry) Someone once said, "Comics are the most unhappy people on earth." (or something to that effect.) Well, I don't know how true that is, but I do know that I really appreciated the fact that she could share bits of her life that were less than humorous. She talked about how the network made her lose so much weight (30 pounds in 2 weeks) that her kidneys just collapsed during rehearsal. She talked about how she didn't "get it" and that it took her a while to realize that she was ok just the way she was. (I was almost brought to tears on a couple of occasions.) On a lighter note, her stuff was hilarious! I loved when she said she slept with a woman on the gay cruise she was working on. Then, she thought to herself, "Am I gay? Am I straight? Then, i realized: I'm just slutty!!!" Also, a lot of her routine features her imitating her Korean born mother. I was rolling watching her facial expressions! At the very end, when she walks off the stage, I almost stopped it, cause I thought that it was over. But, she comes back for an encore, so don't stop the tape! This, in my opinion, is probably the best part! Her parents used to own a bookstore in San Francisco, and her mother discusses the gay porn with her daughter... Oh, if you haven't already guessed, she talks a lot about gay people in her jokes. Don't watch if you would be offended. I recommend this to all who love watching great comics!
Rating: Summary: Maybe one day you grow up to be P.E. teacher Review: In her theatrical, one woman show, "I'm the One that I Want", Margaret Cho is quite simply....brilliant. You are completely captivated by her open, honest, "take no prisoners" style of stand up comedy. The fact that she happens to be side-splittingly funny as well is just the icing on the cake. Ms. Cho discusses a vast range of topics including her failed television series, gay porn, her problems with alcohol and drugs, racism, being a "fag-hag", and of course, her trade-mark impersonation of her mother ("Are you gaaaaay?"). Her comedy is quite obviously derived from her personal experiences and the fact that she can put such a comedic spin on her day to day life is a testimonial to the kind of person she really is. Ms. Cho has the ability to take life's most embarassing or awkward moments and turn them into relatable topics everyone can identify with and therefore laugh at. My only problem with the DVD is that her dialogue occasionally drifts into areas that are quite obviously painful periods in her life and her anger, hurt and frustration come through in her monologue, and although these emotions are quite justifiable, I question whether a "stand-up comedy" routine is the best place to express these injustices. After relating these rather depressing stories, I found it took me two or three jokes before I could get back into the rhythm of her comedy and start laughing again (her hurt and anger when relating these stories is that apparent). The DVD is a high quality product with good audio and visuals. It offers a producer commentary track which, although not exactly "eye-opening", is informative and somewhat entertaining. Also offered on the DVD is a "Behind the Scenes" Featurette, trailor, testimonials, and filmography.
Rating: Summary: So THAT'S Where She Went! Review: Like most Americans, I never heard of Margaret Cho until her ill-starred sitcom appeared in 1996. I remember at the time thinking that she herself was funny, but that the show, featuring the first Asian-American family on network, thought it could just coast by on being Korean. Wrong answer. I was sorry, but not surprised, when the show disappeared from the face of the earth. Now we know why. This concert, more a one-woman show than a stand-up routine, details her relationship with her immigrant mother, the men she's loved, and her "fag-hag" history before spending the bulk of its time on how she got her show, how it went, and how and why it failed. The content is blue in the extreme, and she's frank about her sexual experience. She doesn't dilly-dally or waste your time in telling you what she thinks you need to know, but she takes her time in telling the story the way she wants to tell it. If that means taking ten minutes aside to make fun of her immigrant mother, you just have to wait. But don't worry, you'll be amused in the meantime. Cho exposes the brutality of the entertainment industry and how it chewed her up as grist for the mill, yet instead of feeling sorry for her at the end, you cheer her perseverance. She's a hero for the media age, someone who's better off having left than being trapped in the system. More than just a funny person, she's a post-modern Frank McCourt, using her life story to reveal to us how we can refuse to participate and still come out alive in the end. Margaret Cho someone we can all admire. Oh, and she's funny as hell, too.
Rating: Summary: GO OUT AND BY THIS DVD/VHS NOW! Review: i have never laughed so hard in my life. whether it be margaret poking fun at her weight, here ever-so-proud title of being a "fag-hag", or her insanely funny impersonation of her mother. margaret is honestly one of the 4 or 5 funniest comedians in the U.S. what i love most about her stand-up, is how brutally honest she is. things that no other comic would dare discuss on stage, margaret does. and being able to laugh about all her trials and hardships she has faced, is truly amazing. this movie is for anyone who is on the road to self-discovery and who feels they do not fit in. this movie is for those being persecuted for their gender/race/sexual orientation/weight/etc. but don't let that fool you. that does not take away from margaret's talent and ability to make you laugh. but i have been inspired greatly by this, and my new philosophy in life is that "i will not fail as someone else. i will suceed as myself".
Rating: Summary: Margaret Cho: The Best Review: I thought, when I saw this movie, Wow, this should be good. I had previously seen her on Comedy Central and laughed like crazy. You can tell it was funny in the beginning. From her jokes about her mother, and her life dealing with drug and alcohol abuse, she makes it into a funny situation. She knows what will tickle the funny bone, or what will make you say you go girl. What intrigued me was she was Asian and not White or any other race. THat was unusual, and made it twice better. I think it shows how it is living on Polk Street and being a ... hag. This is a must see for anyone who wants to laugh their heads off. The only down part was the audience laughed so much, I was like shut up and let her make me laugh!
Rating: Summary: Margaret Cho's breakthrough show Review: One of the pleasures of watching Margaret Cho perform is that she can make you laugh yourself silly at the same time she can really move you. In this show she takes the character of her mother (always a staple in her routines) further than she ever has before, and in one very funny and sweet bit about her mother's best (and second-best) Mother's Day ever, she offers a very poignant (and yet still funny) tribute to this very tough, admirable, and curious woman. Most of the show is a kind of "I 'm a survivor" recounting of ABC's disastrous handling of her sitcom and its devastating effects on her self-esteem. The show does suffer a bit from some punchlines that are repeated far too often ("Hi, my name is Gwen..."), but it bgins with a brilliant bit about Karl Lagerfeld that had me laughing out loud.
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