Review of Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (2005) by Nathan W — 21 Jul 2007

[color=white]"I don't care if you think I'm racist," Sarah Silverman says during her stand-up special [i]Jesus is Magic.[/i] "I only care if you think I'm thin." Silverman certainly looks like she's incredibly quaint until she opens her mouth: Despite being small and pretty, she's one of the most vulgar comediennes working today. She tackles a number of taboo topics?racism, sexism, rape, 9/11, AIDS and the Holocaust?with acid-tongued delivery and a deadpan expression, as though she's not in on her own jokes. "I was raped by a doctor," she says innocently, "which is so bittersweet for a Jewish girl." [/color].

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[color=white]Silverman's performance works because of her sugary demeanor; it's like she's on an episode of [i]Kids Say the Darndest Things,[/i] retelling a dirty story she doesn't realize is dirty. It's refreshing and hilarious, despite some scatological jokes that are too juvenile to be funny. Unfortunately, the skits and musical numbers that intersperse her stand-up are poorly conceived and interrupt the flow of her act. [i]Jesus Is Magic [/i]would work better as a straightforward stand-up routine, falling back on Silverman herself rather than on those lousy sketches.[/color].