Dennis Miller: Black and White (1990) (TV)

Director:

James Yukich

Writer:

Dennis Miller

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Dennis Miller does a standup routine in Tempe, AZ which is filmed entirely in black and white. |

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Dennis Miller

...

Himself

Directed by
James Yukich		(as Jim Yukich)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Dennis Miller

Produced by
Brad Grey	....	executive producer
Marc Gurvitz	....	producer
Vic Kaplan	....	producer
Dennis Miller	....	executive producer
Eddie October	....	associate producer

Film Editing by
Jerry Behrens

Art Department
Keith Mosca	....	set dresser

Camera and Electrical Department
Patrick Melly	....	gaffer

Thanks
Ali Espley	....	special thanks
Budd Friedman	....	special thanks
Nancy Geller	....	special thanks
Lorne Michaels	....	special thanks
Holden Miller	....	special thanks
David Spade	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Brillstein-Grey Entertainment

Distributors

• Home Box Office (HBO) (1990) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

54 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Company:

Brillstein-Grey Entertainment

Quotes:

Dennis Miller:NASA! There's a crack unit, huh? These guys make Amtrak look like a team of micro surgeons. The Soviets are building Chuck E Cheeses' on Mars, we break out the party hats if we get down to three in the countdown.

Dennis Miller at his best in black-and-white

Unquestionably Dennis Miller's best HBO comedy special special, 1990's Black & White, shot in Tempe Arizona, is an absolutely hilarious romp through the arcane and the (then) topical. Miller is at his rapid reference firing best here in Tempe, the strings of metaphors in Miller's routine could wrap around the world many times over but he does not lose a breath or skip a beat. Miller's trademark cutting cynicism, sharp common sense, deadly sarcasm, laid-back exaggeration, and unforgiving political commentary are abundant in this his second HBO special as he rants about everything from fanaticism to sexual tendencies and world events to the American legal system.

Few stand-up specials have any particular visual style to them. The comedian and his jokes are the event, why shoot it even in a semi-interesting way? Black-and-white films are in general almost a relic of the past, black-and-white comedy specials are even rarer nowadays; and only a comedic maverick with the guts and indifference of Dennis Miller could pull off a black-and-white comedy special. The black-and-white picture of Black & White does not makes the entire show great all by itself but it does compliment the entire show through its black-and-white picture not only because it looks cool but because it highlights the arcane nature of Miller's reference-dropping comedy (and, to anyone who knows anything about Dennis Miller, his love for classic films). Black & White simply looks as good as it is hilarious - and hilarious it surely is.