Customer Reviews

Margaret Cho - Revolution

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

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.

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.

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?

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!

I LOVE Margaret Cho. "I'm The One That I Want" was hilarious and gave us some insight into Margaret's history. "Notorious C.H.O." although more raunchy and less personal was equally as funny if not more if you like the dirty jokes. But after watching "Revolution" it just felt like something was missing. The jokes were no longer personal, she barely mentioned her mom or her family, and she appeared as a trainwreck sadly to say. She just didn't seem very happy...like she was going through the motions or something. There were some hilarious parts, such as the "Holiday...Celebrate" part. Anyone who has seen it will know what I mean. It just doesn't compare to the last 2 Margaret DVD releases. Her opening act Bruce Daniels looked like he learned how to be funny from Cho...he talked and had the same comidical ryhthm as her and I just wasn't very impressed. I'm excited to see more of Margaret...I just hope that this was filmed on one of her bad days or something.

This is Margaret Cho's third DVD featuring her stand-up routine. Her first album (I'm the One that I Want) was both hilarious and endearing. Her second effort (Notorious CHO) was a bit of a letdown, but had its funny moments. This show (Cho Revolution) is an embarrassment. Here, Cho's material and delivery are so shaky that you wish someone would gently usher her off the stage. She is fortunate that she didn't debut with "Revolution." If there is a fourth installment in the future, I hope Cho is able to regain her footing.

I have been a devoted fan of Maragaret Cho longer than most people. I would watch her perform sub-standard material (but with a great comic style) on MTV and other numerous comedy shows in the late 80's / early 90's. I hated seeing her sitcom chance go down the tubes and grieved for quality comedy when she virtually disappeared. And I was among the first to cheer when she returned triumphantly. Her first 2 concerts on DVD speak for themselves. They're fabulous.

Something, however, has gone wrong. This concert was so far below her usual standard that it seems like the material is all rejects from previous concerts. There is no flow to the show and everything plays as though it had been written the night before. Instead of having been worked out for months on the road. I'm shocked that this act was considered good enough to film. It needed LOTS of work.

Much of the show is painfully unfunny, sometimes even jaw-droppingly crude. And Maragaret's best character (her mother) rarely appears and when she does she is annoying and serves no purpose.

Avoid this one and stick to the first 2. You can't go wrong. And here's hoping the next one is better.

Don't marry a white man !

I've never seen Cho before so I had no expectations. I can only tell you that I've never laughed at my television so much in my life. She's brilliant, dark, intelligent, and disturbed. I'm not sure why there are so many bad reviews and can only attribute it to high expectations based on her other shows. Which is good news for me considering this blew my undies off. Cho is awesome if your sense of humor and tilt on life is a little off--watch and enjoy.

I'm a fan of Margaret's work, but I have to say that she was way off in this comedy outting. Normally her comedic timing and jokes are the things that drives fans in droves to her shows, but for some reason, she lost that in this movie. She wears an outfit that doesn't have much of a purpose, and I think the effect is lost on the audience at home.

It'll still be a decent watch if you are a hardcore Cho fan, but don't expect to feel like you've experienced a revolution by the time you finish watching it. Even her normally hilarious usage of her version of her mother is toned way down. The reason this movie is not a total bust is because she still delivers hilarious lines concerning some of her social observations.

This one is better left towards her huge fans, and even the huge Cho fans may feel disappointed after watching it. Although, if you are new to Cho Land, I do recommend checking out her two previous movies ("I'm the One That I Want" and "Notorious CHO").

As a matter of fact, the only reason I looked up this title on Amazon just now is because I just rented this last night, and I wanted to read some other real Margaret Cho fans' reviews to be sure I was being fair and impartial.

I love Margaret Cho's standup, generally. I couldn't believe how unfocused and pointless this was. Anyone familiar with Cho's comedy will know that she's very animated in her routine and uses a lot of physical caricature to add depth to what she's saying. But here...it's just annoying and overdone. Maybe it's because the points she's attempting to illustrate just aren't all that interesting, not to mention funny. To be fair, I had to turn it off after about 45 minutes or so because I couldn't take Margaret's banshee-like screaming anymore. I screamed back at the screen "SHUT THE @#%* UP!!!" and hit the OFF button.

I'd like to write some more observations about this DVD (e.g., her dramatic weight loss? Drugs? I certainly hope not), but other reviewers have made the same observations here, I see, so there's no point in being redundant. I will ask the question, is Margaret catering too hard to her cult gay/lesbian audience, and is this what she thinks they want? I ask the question because most gay people I know are way more discerning in their taste and, if you're not cutting it, will be the first to tell you 'No, girlfriend!'

That said, I look forward to her her next show. I'm sure this was just a stumble, not a collapse.