The Fluffy Movie

PLOT:

Taking the stage at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, comic Gabriel Iglesias delivers a manic performance featuring wild stories and even wilder impersonations. Iglesias opens the book on his personal background and the strange realities of life on the road.

REVIEW:

Comedy Central has really been living up to its name the last few years. Thanks to stand-up specials featuring the likes of Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Louis C.K., and others, we have been privy to an influx of new great comedic talent. One of my favorites in the new breed is Gabriel Iglesias, but I wonder if The Fluffy Movie will fall short or surpass his other specials.

What is this about?

A comedy concert film that captures the on-stage performance and inspirational success story of Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias.

Since this isn’t really a film with a beginning, middle, and end, but rather a stand-up comedy routine, I can’t really review it that way I do everything else.

There isn’t a comedian alive that wasn’t influenced by Eddie Murphy and Gabriel pays respect to Murphy by, in a flashback, playing the video of Eddie Murphy Raw. If I’m not mistaken, this is also an homage to the opening scene of that film where Murphy does a flashback to his childhood.

Comedians that lose weight are often chastised for “losing the funny”. Jonah Hill is the most recent example as the “skinny version” wasn’t anywhere near as funny as the one we are more accustomed to. Iglesias’ whole career is based on his weight, so when he started losing it, many were worried. IT doesn’t look like he lost any of the funny, but let’s all give him a standing ovation for dropping 100 lbs!!!

Admittedly, Iglesias doesn’t rehearse his routines, as he prefers for them to be natural or real. Not to mention you can never tell what the audience is going to laugh at. That being said, it is really impressive to watch as he goes into a heartfelt story about meeting his father for the first time and the tragedy of what happened before he could get his parents back together for a picture for him to have with them together. There aren’t many people who could keep that situation from bringing the mood in the house down, but Iglesias manages to do so. If he ever decides to become a comedy writer, I’m sure he’ll have a career. Lord knows comedies these days need someone who can keep the funny going without turning it into drama!

In this day and age, it is just a prerequisite to talk about race and Iglesias is no exception to that rule. What sets him apart from the rest, though, is that he doesn’t take a mean-spirited approach to his race jokes. Instead, he makes fun of the stereotypes in a positive manner. I find this refreshing in this age of cynical, mean-spirited, and nymphomaniac comics to have one that is on stage just telling jokes for fun, not to piss anyone off.

The Fluffy Movie is actually one of the better stand-up comedy films I’ve seen since the Eddie Murphy days. However, I feel this was a bit more studio driven, rather than Fluffy powered. What I mean by that is it doesn’t have that same hungry vibe his previous specials have had, but maybe that’s just me. That point aside, I did find this film to be quite hilarious. I cannot remember the last time I laughed this hard! I highly recommend this and any other Iglesias comedy routines you can track down!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Eddie Murphy Delirious

PLOT:

Comedian Eddie Murphy brings his proudly raunchy comedy act to a sold-out stadium and pontificates in his own vulgarly hilarious fashion on such subjects as sexual orientation, puberty, dating, disciplinarian mothers, ice cream trucks, and the personality traits of certain singers.

REVIEW:

Work has me a little busy these next couple of weeks, so how about something short that I’ve been putting off for a while, Eddie Murphy Delirious. Many have forgotten what a comedic genius Eddie Murphy was at one time, but these old stand up routines such as this and Eddie Murphy Raw have preserved the hilarity that he once possessed.

What is this about?

Flashing the wild stand-up comedy that made him a household name, Eddie Murphy unleashes uncensored observations and parodies in this 1983 live show. Murphy’s outrageous act varies from his vivid childhood memories to his classic impressions.

Since this isn’t really a film with a beginning, middle, and end, but rather a stand-up comedy routine, I can’t really review it that way I do everything else.

First thing that has to be mentioned is the red leather suit. Not only is it vintage early 80s and has become synonymous with Murphy, but apparently the ladies loved him in and guys wanted to have their own version of it. Personally, if it was still the style, I’d probably be in the market for one myself.

Murphy’s routine is vulgar and offensive, but above all it is hilarious. True, if he did this today, no one would come out smiling since everyone is so

thin-skinned now. However, back in the day, people could take a joke, and that is why this is such a successful flick.

Perhaps one of the best segments was the ice cream man vignette. I remember growing up and chasing the ice cream man around the neighborhood, so I could really relate to what Murphy was saying, even if his stories were much more amusing than anything I went through, obviously.

Much like Raw, this is filmed at a live event, this time in Washington D.C. The thing about live comedy tapings, especially for movies like this, is that you don’t really know how live they are. I think about the Steve Harvey segments from The Original Kings of Comedy and wonder if that “confrontation” was truly live or just staged. Nothing like that with Murphy, but a couple of times it felt like he was pandering to the crowd, rather than using his prepared material.

When all the dust clears and you have stopped laughing so hard, Eddie Murphy Delirious is quite hilarious, especially when you can relate to certain segments. I didn’t find it to be the most hilarious of Murphy’s stand-up routines, but you can see why this is the one that put him on the map after Saturday Night Live. Do I recommend this? Yes, but be warned, the F-bomb is dropped quite a few times. If you can get over that, then this is something you should check out, so give it a shot!

4 out of 5 stars

The Original Kings of Comedy

PROGRAM:

Steve Harvey, the star of The Steve Harvey Show, is the master of ceremonies for the show. Unlike his sitcom character, Harvey’s on-stage routines use a significant amount of profanity; as the show’s M.C., Harvey is given three short sets instead of one long one.

The finale of Harvey’s sets finds him heckling a member of the audience by stealing his coat while he is away from his seat, and remarking that the “thuggish”-looking young man couldn’t possibly be in the field of “computer technology” that he claims he is. Harvey also covers his experiences growing up in the church, calling out the ineffectiveness of the typical black church “building fund”, and recollecting his mother’s friend Sister Odelle’s profane language and befuddled attempts to sing a church hymn (interspersed with lyrics from television show theme songs).

Harvey’s first set is followed by D. L. Hughley, the star of The Hughleys. He talks about family, specifically African-American family with roots in the South. He exploits the differences between black people and white people; for example, Hughley notes that black people don’t skydive or do other dangerous physical activities because they experience enough peril just trying to get through an average day. “Bungee jumping,” he says. “That’s too much like lynchin’ for us!” He also talks about “helicopter man”, a game he and his wife play in bed, and some skid-marked undergarments that he tried to hide at the bottom of his dirty clothes.

Cedric the Entertainer (Harvey’s co-star on The Steve Harvey Show) presents himself as the most in-tune with the younger demographic, and goes through a number of topics during his routine. Primary among these is his embellishment of the differences between the “hope factor” and the “wish factor”: white people “hope” that nothing goes wrong, and black people “wish” someone would start trouble so that they can retaliate. Cedric acknowledges that he is now a “grown-ass man”, and can no longer call his friends by their “lil’ nicknames” or engage in other such immature behavior.

He discusses how angry a black president might become if a Monica Lewinsky question were posed at a news conference, and also goes into routines about smoking, black athletes’ expansion into golf, tennis, and other sports, what a “ghetto-ass wedding” would be like, and black people’s eventual migration to the moon. Also his love for Jamaican music and how in their music they solve a simple problem.

Bernie Mac is the most autobiographical of the group. He turns his comedy on himself. He uses short, punchy attacks to make his point about his decreased sex drive and desire for quick sex instead of longer periods of intercourse. Mac’s longest routines involve his hard-nosed style of child-rearing, where he makes no qualms about “fucking a kid up” if he needs to. He goes into an extended routine about the stress of raising his sister’s children for her while she recovers from drugs [he didn’t actually have a sister; it was just part of the routine], and tells of a run-in he had with his two-year-old niece and his effeminate six-year-old nephew, whom he refers to repeatedly as “the faggot” (Mac’s routine about his sister’s kids later became the basis of his Fox Network show The Bernie Mac Show).

He then tells a story about his mentally challenged nephew and his bouts with his bus driver; according to Mac, when the bus would come, his nephew would attempt to ask a question, but would immediately start stuttering, frustrating the bus driver and prompting him to drive off without picking him up. This continues the next few days, and Mac’s aunt confronts the bus driver, asking why he was “denying [her son’s] ‘edumacation.'” The bus driver begins to stutter exactly like Mac’s nephew, then proclaims “he was teasin’ me!”. The set, and the film, are concluded with Mac’s piece on the ubiquity of the swear word “motherfucker”, which he describes as “a noun: a person, place or thing,” and then, as noted by New York Times reviewer Elvis Mitchell, “proceeds to give the heft of an adjective and even transforms it into a split infinitive.”

REVIEW:

There comes a time where you just want to get the taste of some less than stellar films out of your mouth. When these days roll around, I turn to the tried and true genre of stand-up comedy. Enter The Original Kings of Comedy, a concert flick that is sure to have you cracking up from pillar to post.

What is this about?

Director Spike Lee documents the final night of the popular comedy tour featuring four black funnymen — Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac — who do their part to revive stand-up comedy’s glory days.

What did I like?

Foreshadowing. There is a scene where Bernie Mac is talking to the camera and he seems to be begging for a TV show since his fellow kings all have had shows. I’m not sure, but I think that after the release of this film they did give him a show, which was actually based on his routine. Not only did they give him a show, but that show went on to win some awards, if I’m not mistaken.

Old school. I love old school r & b. You can blame my parents for that, but I actually thank them for introducing me to good music. Throughout this whole picture, we get lots old school music, such as “Loves Holiday” by Earth, Wind, & Fire, “Turn Off the Lights” by Teddy Pendergrass, etc. The music plays such an important role in this film that Steve Harvey makes it a part of his master of ceremony act.

Funny. From the acts (Cedric the Entertainer was my favorite), to the vignettes, to the interaction with the audience, this film does not skimp on the funny. There are very few films that will have you laughing this much. It is no wonder these guys have gone on to such big careers if they can tickle the audience’s funny bone like this.

What didn’t I like?

Audio. The film proper has no audio issues, but the interspersed audience scenes seem to have a different audio level. How Spike Lee let this slide is beyond me. Thank goodness there weren’t that many of these scenes, but still!

The Original Kings of Comedy is a great little stand-up comedy film. The talents of these four comedians are on full display and aren’t as restricted which allows them to shine in their routines, rather than being held back for television r family film roles. Fans of films like Eddie Murphy Raw and the like are sure to enjoy this. I very highly recommend this flick, so check it out!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Eddie Murphy Raw

PLOT:

After the initial sketch and into the live show itself Murphy begins by saying how various people he referenced responded to their mention in his previous stand-up show, Delirious, specifically Mr. T and Michael Jackson. Murphy also talks about a phone call he received from Bill Cosby in which he said that his son, Ennis, heard his profanity and requested that Murphy not say the word “fuck” on stage again, and began chastising him for his offensive material. Murphy then went on to say that he called Richard Pryor and told him about what Cosby said Pryor responded angrily, calling Cosby a “Jell-O-puddin’ eatin’ motherfucka”, and that if Murphy’s fans think it was funny, then Cosby has no business telling him how to do his act. Murphy also talks about how Pryor was an inspiration to Murphy. Bolstered by Pryor’s encouragement, Murphy stood up to Cosby in a profane manner, and as a result Murphy said that Cosby ‘got raw’, possibly the inspiration for the show’s title.

Murphy makes jokes about relationships; notably of the practice that developed during the 80’s of wives divorcing their husbands and taking ‘half!’, as well as about the faults of both men and women and how the opposite sex exploit those weaknesses, basing it on the message in the song “What Have You Done for Me Lately”. He jokes that he intends to go deep into Africa to find a ‘bush bitch’ who has no concept of Western culture in order to get a wife who (he hopes) will not divorce him. He also makes passing references to Japanese women who are supposedly very obedient to their husbands.

Murphy delivers a well-received segment on Italian-Americans, on their stereotypical behavior, especially how they behave after seeing a Rocky movie. He then talks about white people’s apparent inability to dance. He later talks about his experience in a nightclub where an Italian-American started a fight with Murphy, causing a large brawl, the end result of which saw Murphy getting sued for millions of dollars by all involved and even a few who weren’t.

Murphy also talks about his rude mother making him a biggest homemade onion-and-green-pepper hamburger that shaped like a meatball on Wonder Bread and an exaggerated account on how poor his family was, eventually going into a routine impersonating his father drunk, which follows on from the nightclub brawl segment.

REVIEW:

I think we all long for the time when Eddie Murphy was hilarious, right? Some of the younger generation I have talked to don’t even know of a time when he was anything but “this weird old guy who tries too hard”. Well, Eddie Murphy Raw is sure to take us all back and/or introduce new fans to the genius of Eddie.

What is this about?

Filmed live during two concerts at Madison Square Garden, this stand-up comedy classic showcases Eddie Murphy in a series of uproarious celebrity impressions, observations about the 1980s, remembrances of his childhood and much more.

Since this isn’t really a film with a beginning, middle, and end, but rather a stand-up comedy routine, I can’t really review it that way I do everything else.

Murphy’s routine had me cracking up from start to finish, especially the bit about Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor. Being a fan of all 3 comedians, it would have been hard for me to not enjoy that bit. Maybe it is just a sign of the times, but this kind of humor probably would not work today, at least not as well.

In Murphy’s previous stand-up film, he wears a Michael Jackson-esque red leather suit. This time around he dons similar garb by wearing a Prince-esque paisley purple and black leather suit, complete with black biker gloves. I’m not really one to comment on a man’s fashion, but I have to wonder what was up with this choice of wardrobe. I suppose it could have been worse, though.

This routine had its ups and downs. It started off great, but the last couple of bits fell a bit flat for me. I think it might have something to do with the way he segues to them that didn’t work, but these sequences about his family almost garnered this film a lower rating.

Quick little tidbit, or warning…the word “fuck” is used 223 times in this film, which was a record for a full-length film for quite some time. So, for those of you that have issues with language, you have been warned. I do wonder why you’re watching an R-rated Eddie Murphy comedy routine from the 80s, though, if you’re that easily offended by language.

Eddie Murphy Raw is the perfect film for those of us nostalgic for the days when Murphy could make us laugh. Whatever this man has mutated into, it can’t be denied that he was hilarious back in the day. Certain people in this house hate stand-up comedy and were laughing harder than ever, so what does that tell you. I highly recommend this to any and everyone. If you don’t nearly die laughing, then you just don’t have a sense of humor!

4 3/4 out of 5 stars