Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Assassin
Cover image credit: via TMDB

Assassin

Margaret Cho

Here! TV · 2005 · 85 min

An angry, heavily political 2005 set targeting the Bush administration.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

George W. Bush had just secured a second term, and Margaret Cho was not taking it well. Evolving from her 2004 State of Emergency tour, Assassin is less of a traditional stand-up hour and more of a political rally for an exhausted liberal base. Cho aims directly at the defining cultural touchstones of the mid-2000s—the Iraq War, the religious right’s handling of Terri Schiavo, the death of Pope John Paul II, and the battle over gay marriage. She leans entirely into partisan anger, trading observational setups for an open attack on the conservative establishment.

Filmed in May 2005 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., the special premiered later that year on the LGBTQ network Here! TV. Cho was deep into her pivot from mainstream sitcom star to political activist, and the reception reflected the country’s polarization. The release earned a dismal 38 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with a vocal contingent of critics arguing the comedy had been completely swallowed by her political agenda. Even supportive reviewers noted the set felt exceptionally bitter, resulting in an hour that functioned mostly to validate the frustrations of the crowd already in the room.

The set list

3 bits

  1. Speaking with politician John Kerry

    Compares trying to converse with Kerry to talking to an ent tree-creature from The Lord of the Rings.

  2. Current events of early 2005

    Attacks the re-election of George W. Bush, the Terri Schiavo controversy, the death of Pope John Paul II, and the Iraq War using accents and facial mannerisms.

  3. Receiving and handling hate mail

    Uses hostile correspondence from detractors as a teaching moment on gay pride and women's rights.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, angry, biting, and politically provocative.
On stage
Aggressive, raw, unapologetic, and lean, leaning heavily into her identity as an outspoken advocate for the left.
Pace
Passionate and vehement monologue delivery punctuated with facial contortions and physical expressions.
About
The Bush administration and political polarization, The religious right, Gay marriage and LGBTQ rights, The Iraq War, Current events of early 2005, Women's rights

What the critics said

Received mixed-to-negative reviews from mainstream film critics, who argued that bitter, partisan political lecturing overshadowed the comedic inventiveness of her earlier specials, though it was noted as playing successfully to her loyal, receptive base.

In the room: Adoring, aligned, and partisan crowd offering enthusiastic laughter, applause, and standing ovations.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: themoviedb.org, boxofficemojo.com, allmovie.com, metacritic.com, variety.com, reelviews.net, ew.com, cinafilm.com, westword.com, eastbaytimes.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Created in the immediate aftermath of the 2004 U.S. presidential election amid the Iraq War, conservative governance under George W. Bush, and intensifying cultural battles over gay marriage.

Details

Released
Taped
Warner Theatre, Washington
Runtime
85 min
Where
Here! TV
Director
Kerry Asmussen
Topics
Before
CHO Revolution (2004)
After
Adventures In Comedy (2015)

More from Margaret Cho

If you liked this