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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Jesus Is Magic

Sarah Silverman

2005 · 72 min

A cheerful delivery collides with taboo material in this concert film.

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

Jesus Is Magic relies on a potent comedic juxtaposition: a cheerful woman saying terrible things with total innocence. Sarah Silverman’s routine operates on the premise that she is too self-absorbed to understand the weight of her own material. This dissonance drives the performance, peaking in lines that test the room’s comfort level. She jokes that being assaulted by a doctor is “so bittersweet for a Jewish girl”, and mentions motivating her niece by warning her that an angel gets AIDS every time she loses at tag.

Directed by Liam Lynch, the project adapts Silverman’s off-Broadway one-woman show into a theatrical feature filmed in Los Angeles. At the time of its 2005 release, the comic was transitioning from a cult favorite known for Mr. Show into a mainstream name. To reach a 72-minute runtime, the movie pads out roughly forty minutes of pure stand-up with backstage sketches and music videos featuring cameos from Bob Odenkirk and Brian Posehn. Critics were divided on the hybrid format, generally noting that the live stage material worked better than the interspersed filler.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Her grandmother surviving the Holocaust at one of the 'better' camps with a vanity tattoo.

    Treats concentration camps with absurd vanity and triviality, claiming the tattoo read 'Bedazzled'.

  2. Getting dumped by a half-Black boyfriend.

    Blames his reaction on low self-esteem after she gave him what she thought was a compliment, claiming he would have made an expensive slave.

  3. Being raped by a doctor.

    Frames the assault through a Jewish cultural stereotype, noting that being raped by a doctor is 'bittersweet for a Jewish girl'.

  4. Singing 'You're Gonna Die Soon' at an elderly nursing home.

    Performs a cheerful, blunt satirical song about imminent death directly to unresponsive senior citizens.

  5. Proposing a new slogan for American Airlines.

    Takes aim at 9/11 sensibilities by suggesting the airline's slogan should be 'First Through the Towers'.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, provocative, transgressive, biting, and darkly satirical.
On stage
A self-absorbed, casually ignorant hipster and 'Jewish American Princess' who delivers shocking, taboo observations with an innocent smile, girlish twang, and sweet demeanor.
Pace
Polished, poised delivery with precise enunciation and deadpan timing, alternating between stand-up routines, satirical songs, and cutaway sketches.
About
race and racism, religion, the Holocaust, rape, AIDS, sexism

What the critics said

Met with mixed to favorable appraisal; critics lauded Silverman's sharp comedic timing, courage, and subversive skewering of bigotry, while several reviewers critiqued the film's disjointed editing, pacing, and intercut sketch scenes.

In the room: Elicited gasps, nervous laughter, and discomfort, with some audience members reportedly walking out due to the transgressive subject matter.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, catalog.afi.com, themoviedb.org, metacritic.com, nytimes.com, rogerebert.com, latimes.com, salon.com, npr.org, jewishjournal.com, freshairarchive.org.

Backstory

An adaptation of her acclaimed off-Broadway stage show honed in New York and Los Angeles, blending stand-up with musical numbers and scripted backstage vignettes.

Details

Released
Runtime
72 min
Director
Liam Lynch
Topics
After
We Are Miracles (2013)

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