I Might Need Security

Jamie Foxx possesses a frustrating amount of talent, and he spends a good chunk of his 2002 HBO hour proving it. While the traditional stand-up material here is standard early-2000s observational fare, the back half shifts into a musical performance that most touring comics could not attempt. Sitting at a grand piano, he delivers vocal impersonations of Babyface and Luther Vandross, along with Prince singing the Brady Bunch theme song. It is a flex of sheer musical capability, culminating in an original R&B ballad centered entirely around the phrase “fuck you” that Chance the Rapper eventually sampled for a 2018 track.\n\nFilmed at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California, the hour catches a performer between two phases of fame. He had already established his dramatic acting chops in Any Given Sunday and Ali, but was still a couple of years away from winning an Oscar for Ray. The stand-up material reflects his changing status. Rather than straightforward club comedy, the act relies heavily on his newfound proximity to A-list celebrities and an extended story about traveling to Africa after a movie shoot.