Search - Margaret Cho - Revolution on DVD

Mommy So Embarrassed for You!

Kevin Kochanski | Atlanta, GA USA | 09/15/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is disappointing. If you're a Cho fan, you'll find something in it to laugh at, but it's by FAR the least of her three movies. If you wondered why this one never played cinemas, you'll know why when you see it. She's very disoriented, and never builds momentum, often bringing the show to a dead halt. She performs the beginning of the show in an elaborate costume, complete with wig and pearls, but never explains what this is for. And yes, she does a routine all about incontinence.



Now I love poop jokes as much as anyone, but any comedy critic knows that props and potty humor mean you're at the end of the line.



Finally, I'm perplexed by the inexplicable halving of Cho's size. She spent all this time in her first two movies talking about how she came to terms with the fact that that's just who she is, how she's shaped. So where did half of her go? She should have built in a funny, self-effacing routine describing her weight loss. Instead, she ignores it, and then at the end lapses into her now-trite sincerity schtick about accepting who we are. I can't help feeling she's a bit of a hypocrite. In previous films, she's led up to the self-confidence sappy portion by being funny about it, and by being sincere...in Revolution, it comes out of nowhere, and seems pat and trite.



Don't get me started on that loser who opens for her. You see clips of his performance before her show, and I wondered if he was just deadpan, using his dryness to effect. Wrong. After watching his full performance (an extra on the DVD), I realize he just has NO STAGE PRESENCE and is utterly UNFUNNY! Not one bit of his act was remotely original or amusing, engaging or even lively. Was this supposed to make Cho seem funnier?



Cho has her moments, and if you're a fan, there will be plenty of chuckles and even a few belly-laughs, so maybe rent this one with low expectations. But I miss the Margaret Cho I know and love. I am not comfortable with this thin, costumed woman, who spends half the show hiding under her ghetto-drag-queen voice for no reason. Where are you hiding The One that I Want, Margaret?



"

Sad But True

Cat Black | Boston, Mass | 07/02/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Sad but true. I can only agree with the other Margaret fans who were just left wondering what was going on when they watched this. I loved the first two DVDs. I'm English and, frankly, not many American comics translate like Margaret. On form, she's phenominal. So what went wrong?



The performance is tired and flat. There is an air of depression hanging over the whole fiasco - including the pre-concert footage. I'm used to her enjoying her work - laughing along with the audience - but on this outing, I don't recall seeing any of her usual joire de vivre.



Yes, there are still some laugh out loud moments. But on the whole, the material is second rate. Too much mugging. And I wasn't amused at any point by the persimmons gag - and as it goes on and on and... It's just crude and unfunny. (I don't mind crude AND funny!)



Most remarkable is her complete failure to reference her weight loss - and so when she goes off on one about body facism it just jars. As for the tacked on "Revolution" manifesto at the end? It just sounded like an afterthought. It wasn't integrated at all.



Don't get me wrong, I admire Margaret immensely. Wish her luck. And hope she comes back with a bang. But please, Margaret, don't release another one like this."

Heart Breaking

J. Beauvais | 12/12/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I've never really been caught up with the private lives of any public figures. But I've got a soft spot for Margaret Cho. Her first two videos were some of the funniest, most honest stand-up I've ever seen. Her accomplishments were fantastic. That she was able to push her way through all the negative social imagry, drugs and alcohol and still be as charismatic as she was really made me like her.



But "Revolution" scared the crap out of me. I felt like i was watching the ghost of Margaret Cho. Skinny, fidgety, and wiping her nose through the whole show, She looked like all the coke addicts I've run into in my life. Her platform seemed to be "Give the audience what they want," and i kept waiting for her to start crying all night. She was unsure of herself and spacey. To be honest, I was concerned. I'm sure she probably had to sign some sort of deal to produce several live tapings of shows, otherwise, I don't think she would have released this one.



I love Margaret Cho's work. I've ranted about it to so many people. But I think she's in a bad place right now, and even though i watched the video two days ago, the imagery is still haunting me.



Whatever this phase is in her life, i hope she pulls out."

Margaret not inspired here. Check out her other DVDs.

J. Samis | New York, N.Y. | 09/13/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Let me premise everything I am about to say by telling you that I am as "fanny" as a fan can get with this brilliant comic. Margaret Cho's "I'm The One That I Want" and "Notorious" are brilliant cum bordering on genius pieces that not only force you to the floor in laughter but also leave you thinking. This is a rare feet indeed in this day of mediocre comics that more often than not resort only to the mundane and profane to get a laugh.As to Revolution: I don't know what happened with this venture. Margaret is simply not herself and I don't understand why the plug wasn't pulled on "Revolution" before it got to the screen and DVD. She seems tired, uninspired and the material isn't worthy of her past. It is not representative of Cho in any way, shape or form. Perhaps her dramatic weight loss so evident in this feature speaks to more than a loss of physical weight. Cho's babbling and ranting will have you reaching for the OFF button more than once. The only reason we didn't turn it off was because we remained hopeful that the glorious Cho of 'Ol would show herself eventually...she did not.That it is not funny would seem bad enough. The real problem is that Cho doesn't have anything to say in this chapter. She has resorted to the absolute lowest rung of conversation in spending a good portion of this routine detailing her adventures in pooping her pants. It is that debase, it is that raunchy... it is not funny.Stay clear of "Revolution". If there was a "Revolution" Cho lost and unfortunately in buying this so did we.Here is to hoping our Margaret is working on better things. Can't wait!"