Bill Cosby Himself

Most days when I buy a stand up DVD I realize that I am probably over paying for at most an hour and twenty minutes of material. Likewise some comedians CDs often contain only forty minutes of material if you cut out about three minutes for the local bits. So when I saw this at an electronics retailer for about five dollars I thought I was getting a fantastic deal. I remembered listening to a CD of Mr. Cosby's lone stand up movie and liked the bits so I figured it would be good for the forty minutes that the CD lasted for. Much to my surprise I had an opus of comedic storytelling that lasts over two hours.

This also reminded me of the movie Comedian starring Jerry Seinfeld that watches the comedian come up with new material and test it out with club audiences. Considering his style Jerry is struggling to put a good ten minutes together and discusses his troubles with his friend Chris Rock. Rock then turns to Jerry and tells him he went to see Cosby who had a two and a half hour show of entirely new material aside from one bit. For one the few times in my personal history Jerry and I had a similar reaction and simply gasped awestruck.

Once again this is not a movie with a plot so I will simply go over the bits that I liked and offer critiques throughout. Do remember that this is Cosby a year before his breakout sitcom and had been packing auditoriums for nearly twenty years.

A good way to open he walks out and simply keeps walking off stage as if he's confused. The opening bit is one the best and most original bits that I have ever heard about drinking, drug users and the various kinds of drunks based upon your beverage of choice. It is also a wonderful display of Cosby's physicality that remains even when he sits down. I will admit there are points where this feels preachy (like telling Eddie Murphy to stop cursing) but it's not like he's making an unintelligent argument.

Sadly this next bit feels a little bit childish and potentially beneath Cosby as he mugs about dentists. There are some funny observations but they are few and far between. It's the general problem of a comic going over a topic that has been done time and time again. If you don't have something new to say about it you should probably just leave the bit at home.

Now we get to the bread and butter of Cosby's act for his entire career. Stories about his family. For those unfamiliar with how he performs Cosby spends much of his time on stage sitting in chair which certainly adds to the feeling that you're a child listening to stories about children. Considering that he has at least five children he may have more.....he has a wealth of material just waiting at home. Highlight bits to look for in the longest section. Listen to him talking about brain damage in children, his attempts to make breakfast for his children and what his life is like every night.

Unlike many comedians with similar material Cosby likes to mix up with observations about his family with over the top exaggeration and the personal nature of the material. I suppose the thing that gets to me with a lot of comics is how they talk about like oh women or mom's or whatnot. Cosby may make statements about children but we already know that he's talking about his kids. That means that the material is more personal.

Cosby's other strength, one that I referenced earlier, is his very physical delivery. Love him or hate him this is something Dane Cook understands very well when he's on stage. Of course Cosby doesn't run around the stage like a madman but every story has a wealth of facial expressions, motions, and a variety in vocal intonation.

Now I don't know what he's up to now but last I heard he was still touring and doing shows so if you get a chance you should see him. A member of my frat Topper said he saw him and said that he started out slow but by the end you're "just beaten down with how much funnier than you he is". Also forget all the impressions you've ever seen someone do of him. They're from bits that he did in sixties that you probably won't ever get your hands on. If you do feel free to imitate because his old stuff is also fantastic.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone because there are only a couple of bad words and nearly all of the material is easy to identify with. It does run longer than nearly every stand up DVD does but if you're in the mood for it and don't have someplace to be in two hours have a seat and laugh your respective butt off to one of the Black Crusaders (If you don't get this joke now you'll have to see 30 Rock season 1 in order to)