Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 by Sarah Grace McCandless

Jesus is Magic Movie Review >>

Sarah Silverman will never tell you a joke that’s “safe for the kids,” and that’s just one of the things that makes her brand of comedy so very, very wrong in all the right ways. Her first concert film, Jesus is Magic, includes a generous helping of Silverman’s completely unorthodox live stand-up seasoned with skits featuring original songs (and trust me, you won’t be seeing any of these tunes as a selection on American Idol anytime soon).

Nothing is off limits in her bag of tricks, be it jokes about religion, race, AIDS (”When God gives you AIDS�Ķmake lemon-AIDS”), 9/11, rape (”I was raped by a doctor�Ķwhich is so bittersweet for a Jewish girl”), and even the Holocaust. Part of what works so well is the way she almost effortlessly juxtaposes what are normally taboo subjects with what could pass as a Happy Hour chat, ripe with familiar, conversational phrases ��� “Nazis are a-holes�Ķexcept when they’re babies. They’re so cute when they’re little! If only they could stay small�Ķ”

If you’re expecting a continuous laugh-out loud fiesta, this may not be your cup of tea. Silverman’s commentary is more likely to provoke thoughts of, “Awww, I shouldn’t be laughing at this!” with stifled giggles and shakes of heads versus stomach-aching hilarity. Of course, that’s all part of the point ��� but whether or not people accept her cutting remarks as a clever tactic to force audiences to examine their own double-standards remains to be seen. The routine could use some fine tuning as some of the songs are stronger than others, causing a few spots to drag and feel a little repetitive. And by the end of the film, you might feel like you still don’t know very much about Silverman herself, as she remains fairly detached from the observations she shares.

Regardless, Silverman will likely charm you with her smarts, looks, and wicked talent, even when delivering what could be construed as the most offensive thought to come out of a “nice girl’s” mouth. Despite its minor flaws, Jesus is Magic should bring Silverman a widening base of admirers and attention that is long overdue.

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STARRING: Sarah Silverman, La’vin Kiyano, Bob Odenkirk, Brian Posehn, Laura Silverman, and Brody Stevens
GENRE(S): Comedy
WRITTEN BY: Sarah Silverman
DIRECTED BY: Liam Lynch
RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2005
RUNNING TIME: 72 minutes, Color
ORIGIN: USA

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