Long recognizable for her small roles in movies and work on television like “Mr. Show,” Sarah Silverman finally steps into the spotlight with “Jesus Is Magic,” a stand-up concert mixed with music videos and sketches featuring the likes of Brian Posehn and Bob Odenkirk. Silverman’s routine is, to put it mildly, a bit raw. Her act is full of jokes about AIDS, minorities, and 9-11, and while much of the material is quite funny, one can’t help but wonder how long she can maintain the novelty of her act.
There are plenty of laughs, and her musical interludes in particular are hilarious, but her shtick – the deadpan and seemingly earnest delivery of jokes about outrageous topics – is really only effective for the first part of the show. Once you become accustomed to her material and begin to anticipate it, some of the shine comes off the act.
Silverman is a gifted comedienne, but its hard to come away from “Jesus Is Magic” and not think that, if this wasn’t an attractive woman with a nice body saying these things, she wouldn’t enjoy half the success she does. I couldn’t help thinking, as I watched this film, that if that was Roseanne Barr or Mo’Nique were telling jokes about American Airlines making “First Through the Towers” their new slogan in order to capitalize on 9-11, they’d get booed off the stage.
