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Still Trippin'

Steve Harvey

Google Play · 2008 · 1 h 46 min

Steve Harvey abandons clean comedy for an unrated return to form.

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Two years after releasing a family-friendly comedy special aimed at churchgoing audiences, Steve Harvey reversed course. Still Trippin’ abandons the polite restraint of his previous effort, dropping the comic right back into the unrated territory he built his career on. Harvey treats the stage like a pulpit for grievances, pacing while unloading on everything from military drafts to the criminal justice system.

Filmed at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, the set leans heavily into the physical realities of aging and marriage. Harvey spends a substantial chunk of the show acting out the indignities of needing a spouse to clean you when your body gives out, and detailing the exact logistics of a cheap wedding where the reception catering consists of bologna sandwiches cut into thirty-two pieces on toothpicks. He also wades into topical material for 2008, questioning the practicality of deploying older men to Iraq and using the Michael Vick dogfighting case to point out racial disparities in prison sentencing.

The set list

4 bits

  1. The women in a Texas polygamous cult

    Riffing on news stories heard while doing radio, comparing the women to Aunt Bee from 'The Andy Griffith Show' and Jane Hathaway from 'The Beverly Hillbillies'.

  2. His niece's wedding

    Comedic breakdown and personal observations regarding family drama surrounding his niece's wedding.

  3. Trip to Africa

    Sharing comedic personal travel experiences and culture shock from his journey to Africa.

  4. Working on his radio show

    Contrasting the FCC restrictions of daytime radio broadcasting with the freedom of the uncensored standup stage.

How it plays

Tone
Hilarious, candid, blue, and observational.
On stage
Charismatic, candid, and unapologetic funnyman delivering uncensored, blue adult humor with expressive facial expressions.
Pace
Commanding and confident with impeccable timing.
About
Family Relationships, Marriage, Work and his radio show, Travel, Current events and news stories, Redemption

What the critics said

Received positive reviews; critic Kam Williams awarded it 4/4 stars and an 'A' grade for blue material, praising Harvey's hilarity, charisma, and timing, though noting a preference for his clean material.

In the room: Delivered before a packed, responsive house in Newark, New Jersey.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, gps.swanlibraries.net, allmovie.com, themoviedb.org, rottentomatoes.com, cinafilm.com, baystatebanner.com, variety.com.

Backstory

Filmed in 2008 following his spotless clean special 'Don't Trip... He Ain't Through with Me Yet'. Harvey addressed returning to profanity/blue material, and reflected on a stressful year marked by the deaths of fellow 'King' Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes.

Details

Released
Taped
New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark
Runtime
1 h 46 min
Where
Google Play
Director
Leslie Small
Honors
Opening-night selection at the 12th annual Urbanworld Film Festival (2008)
Topics
Before
HBO Comedy Half-Hour (1995)

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