Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (2005)

Director:

Liam Lynch

Writer:

Sarah Silverman (writer)

Release Date:

1 August 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Plot:

Narrative digressions on sex, race, politics, and more from comedienne Sarah Silverman.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Audience | Dressing Room | Musical Number | Friend

Cast

Sarah Silverman	...	Sarah
Brian Posehn	...	Friend
Laura Silverman	...	Friend
Bob Odenkirk	...	Manager
Steve Agee	...	Guy in Wings
Jim Bodma	...	Grandma's Friend
Jon Cellini	...	Funeral Attendee
David Derby	...	Bass Guitar Player
Suzannah Fagan	...	Soccer Mom
Robin Goldwasser	...	Harmonies
Dee Kaye	...	Soccer Mom
Jonathan Kimmel	...	Harmonies
Michael Kotch	...	Guitar Player / Keyboards
Kiyano La'vin	...	African American Guy
Ben Matthews	...	Grandma's Friend

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | UK:15

Company:

Black Gold Films

Quotes:

Sarah Silverman: You know who has a tiny vagina? Barbie. Not Klaus Barbie, the infamous Nazi.

Movie Connections:

References The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears (1983) (TV)

Holy cows make the best hamburger

Sarah Silverman is subtle, provocative, and disturbing. Her guileless, deadpan parody of profane ideas is like a naive child faithfully repeating something horrifying that she overheard her parents whisper. Reviewers who compare her to Andrew Dice Clay don't understand her comedy. Clay pandered to his audience's bigotry without irony, telling his audience what they wanted to believe but were afraid to say themselves.

A more apt comparison would be to Carroll O'Connor: a gifted writer, comedian, and actor. Sarah Silverman presents a persona that makes people squirm; she creates a dissonance between her apparent lack of anger or malice and her socially unacceptable material. To accuse her of racism, sexism, homophobia, internalized anti-Semitism, or going for cheap shock is to miss the point. Holy cows make the best hamburger, but it's easy to choke on if you're laughing.

Silverman forces audiences to confront their own gut reactions about unacceptable ideas without providing anyone easy to blame. She is a polite, educated, attractive young woman. To hear her say things we refuse to believe polite, educated, attractive young women think or would even admit is disturbing.

The Anti-Defamation League, the National Organization of Women, NAACP, and the Human Rights Campaign won't laud her as a transgressive comedian who forces audiences to confront their own unacknowledged bigotry. Sarah Silverman is not a social crusader; she is a comedian who tickles your funny bone with a sharp spear. She could preface all her material with, "Can you believe there are idiots who think, '(assume character, insert content),'" to avoid controversy. Gutted by incorporated disclaimers, her comedy would lose its ability to induce awkward guilt in her audience. The power of her comedy is its ravaging of social beliefs that we are all supposed to share.

No comedy is universal, but hers is biting, subversive, disturbing, and fascinating. Instead of laughing at her content, you laugh at the attitudes she portrays and worry if you should find them funny. You either miss the irony of her comedy or you have to appreciate her genius as an actor, writer, comic, and social critic.