Janeane Garofalo: If You Will (2010/Stand-up Comedy Concert/Image Entertainment
Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: B Concert: C+
Janeane Garofalo has been at different times an
actress, comedian, radio host, and political activist. If You
Will features a stand-up comedy performance in Seattle from early in 2010, and represents
about one hour of material. Ms. Garofalo
focuses this particular performance on her own foibles and shortcomings. While delivering some excellent laugh-lines,
she unflinchingly reveals some of the personal demons that have dogged her in
her public and private lives. Whether
it’s her struggle with alcohol, her lack of an active sex life, or her
rejection of religious belief, no subject is taboo. All of them become fodder
for her act.
Aside
from a few shots here and there, Ms. Garofalo generally leaves politics out of
this performance. She does take a shot or two at the American right wing, but
she never pursues these avenues to their full course. Although there are some
genuinely funny moments and bits in the performance, it lacks the energy of a
Bill Maher or the staccato delivery of a Dennis Miller. The funniest moments come with Garofalo’s
unvarnished discussion of her dysfunctional sex life. At one point she recounts once having the
energy to bribe her boyfriend into walking their dogs with blowjobs, but no
more.
The 1080i
1.78 X 1 Blu-ray and anamorphically enhanced DVD of the same 1.78 X 1 are about
even, shots simply with HD cameras, offering some good color and some good
shots, but nothing special. The DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 on the Blu-ray stretches out the sound a bit, as
does the Dolby Digital 5.1 on the DVD, with a very narrow difference between
the two. The DTS is a little warmer, but
not by much in this case.
The two
significant extras on the disc are mini-skits where Garofalo first takes a
solid shot at the political right, and then Americans’ predilection with
children and family in the second. Both manage to bring a few laughs, and show
Ms. Garofalo’s true strength as a performer still lies in her acting (even
though she is just playing herself).
Ardent fans of Ms. Garafalo will want this disc to add to their
collections, but casual comedy fans may find the material lacks energy.
- Scott Pyle & Nicholas Sheffo
