Cho-sen one

reviewed Sun, 26 Nov 2000

Margaret Cho has joined the ranks of Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Martin Lawrence in having her stand-up act released as a feature film, I'm the One That I Want.  Gleefully profane, despite the presence of her parents in the audience, Cho talks about sex, drugs, and her horrific experience making her short-lived sitcom, "All-American Girl."  The carelessly cruel "notes" from network executives about her weight and her "Asian-ness" or lack thereof triggered a self-destructive binge that culminated in enlightment and acceptance of herself.  Sounds pretty treacly, but it's not -- even while describing her nadir, she works in humor:  "What kind of fucked-up, Motley-Crüe-'Behind the Music' scene is this?!"

She's very funny, and as far as I'm concerned, you can never have too many funny, outspoken, unwaiflike women who swear like a sailor.  The only criticism I'd make is that she sounds over-rehearsed when talking seriously.  Though I'm sure her jokes are just as rehearsed as the serious stuff, they come off sounding fresh and spontaneous.  But when she's getting deep and meaningful, it sounds like she's reading off a script -- a script that includes notes about inflection and facial expression.  You know, like the kind George W. Bush uses.  But that's a small quibble about an entertaining and worthwhile film.

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