Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home (TV 2003)

Bill Maher stars in his sixth HBO stand-up special, premiering LIVE from the Hudson Theater in New York!

Director:

John Moffitt

Writer:

Bill Maher

Stars:

Bill Maher

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Cast overview:
Bill Maher	...	Himself

Storyline

Comedian Bill Maher's Tony Award-nominated Broadway standup show, Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home, will return to New York, July 17-19, 2003. The final performance at the Hudson Theatre (which is not technically a Broadway house though it's in the midtown theatre district) will be filmed live for HBO. In the show, Maher addresses contemporary political, social and cultural topics -- Iraq, President Bush and the so called Axis of Evil. The opinionated Maher said about Victory Begins at Home: "We've heard everything about the War on Terrorism except what we can actually do to help win it. The government used to do that for us through propaganda (the positive kind) posters, so taking my cue from the great old posters of World War I and World War II ('Loose Lips Sink Ships,' 'Buy War Bonds,' 'Plant a Victory Garden,' etc.) I commissioned artists to paint the posters our government today should be putting out to help us win this war."

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Plot Keywords:

new york | broadway | stand up | comedian | theater | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

HBO Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 July 2003 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Hudson Theatre - 141 W. 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Moffitt-Lee Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Bill Maher: Its so easy to say anything. The one thats easy to say now is "I support the Troops". Doesn't cost you anything. "I support the troops". But I got a question for you can you really support the troops, If you also support these massive tax cuts for the very rich. Cause the people we say are our heros are paid by tax dollars. We hear about teachers have to buy their own school supplies. Soilders in this country are on food stamps. Firemen... Well firemen get laid so easily now... fuck them... but...

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Connections

Featured in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008)

User Reviews

Depends on your taste for Maher's ranting but mostly it is a sharp show, if only really hilarious a handful of times

My exposure to Bill Maher had been limited for ages and it was only over the last year that I started watching HBO's Real Time and having regular contact with Maher. I generally enjoy him as a host and comedian on this show but I do tend to find that he seeks out the extreme viewpoint on most issues and sticks to it and sometimes can kill a good discussion by just sweeping across everyone with his view whether it is reasoned or reasonable. You can probably see where I am going with this because, as a stand-up, he isn't part of a discussion - he is the discussion and I was very aware that his "bits" are the entire show and was not sure what I would get.

What I got was mostly solid political comedy with good points presented with energy and a certain amount of insight and, when this happens, it is actually pretty good. Of course if you totally disagree with him then it will only anger you but for me mostly I was agreeing enough to be caught up and probably find it funnier than it actually was. The problems come when Maher tries to do more anger than he can convincingly deliver. Some comedians do "anger" really well and make an act out of it, Maher doesn't and when he gets more worked up his points become exaggerated and simplified because they are easier to shout. There are a couple of times he loses the audience and doesn't get a reaction and he accuses them of not agreeing with him whereas I think they do agree with him, but not in the simplistic and shouty way he just put his point across. Of course his politics are pretty far out in some regards and there are times you just wonder, even as a liberal, where on earth he managed to get that viewpoint but mostly he can carry it here.

So an acquired taste but those that like Maher in other things will enjoy this show because it is barbed and cutting even if he is not hilarious as a comedian. When he tries to get "worked up" though he stumbles because, as much as he wants to come over as "outraged" the truth is that he goes away from insight and ends up shouting simplistic and badly structured stuff at the crowd, which loses them as often as it fires them up.