Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic (2005)

Sarah Silverman is not a ditzy, shallow, racist, homophobic hatemonger, but she does play one on TV. The most distinctive female voice in stand-up didn't get there just by saying things women don't say -- but by saying things people don't say. But Silverman is not half as controversial as she might be, because she doesn't mean a bit of it. The character Silverman plays is part and parcel to everything she does. Without her once having to call attention to herself or drop character, savvy viewers recognize she's only lampooning a person who would really say such horrible things. Her delicate balancing act, her spacey earnestness, her matter-of-fact delivery, and her willingness to "go there" for a joke are what make her so funny. Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic is a good introduction to the comic, but it's never more than that. According to the loose framing device, Jesus Is Magic is the show she brainstormed at the last minute to one-up a pair of successful colleagues, and as a result, it's an unevenly paced mixture of stand-up and short cutaways. Each of these explores one basic theme: Sarah Silverman will say anything, often the most totally wrong thing you wouldn't expect her to say. Her cheerful songs -- particularly her love ditty that touches on every ignorant stereotype in the book -- are perfect illustrations of Silverman at her best. However, one bit, in which she strangles the corpse at her dead grandmother's wake, suggests she sometimes has no loftier goal than shock value -- which detracts some from her sublime persona. While this performance is not for anyone with prudish sensibilities, those who like their comedy squirmy and edgy will be more than satisfied. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide