Frank Ochieng is a guest critic who also writes reviews for his own personal website, located here.

To become a Guest Critic for CINEMA 2000, please notify David Keyes.

Review Uploaded
07/26/02

Frank's film tip: This former "All-American Girl" marvelously sheds her skin in the revealing stand-up concert film "Notorious C.H.O"

Korean-American stand-up comic Margaret Cho is one amusing caustic storyteller. Sharply hilarious and brimming with heart-rendering frankness, Cho exposes herself through the raw observations of the engagingly cheeky comedy concert film "Notorious C.H.O. In the mid ninties, Cho was given a distinctive opportunity to make her mark with the ABC-TV short-lived sitcom "All-American Girl". But this time, Cho gets to reveal her true riotous revelations on the big screen in the Seattle-based concert movie shot sometime at the end of last year. Verbally robust and thought-provoking, this bisexual comedienne serves up the frothy laughs in keen, boisterous form.

Comedy concert films are generally explosive because they add a whole new element to the personal touch of the comedian's psyche. Audiences get a humorously disturbing glimpse into the mindset of the raucous-minded protagonist on stage. This is why some moviegoers have been hypnotized by the upfront exploits of acid-tongued comics ranging from the rollicking perspective of comedy legend Richard Pryor to the sassy outbursts of a delirious daredevil diva such as Sandra Bernhard.

Well, Cho is no different in her fervent subject matters that she seems to recall with striking enthusiasm. There's a gleeful sardonic delivery in the way Cho uses her Valley Girlish verbiage that's unassumingly intense yet wildly side-splitting in nature. She isn't afraid to present herself as a willing target while acknowledging her own flaws for the sake of the naughty comedic vibes that are generating at a decent rapid pace. On stage, Cho is in command although you cannot help but feel the festering vulnerability inside this jocular woman. In short, Cho sacrifices her very being for the riotous riffs being put forth. Hence, that's not only brave on her part but instinctively savvy and strangely touching in some aspects.

Cho is no stranger to the concert film genre. Her first effort was the late '90's spunky offering "I'm The One That I Want". Some may recognize a few recycled anecdotal quips from her previous outing with "I'm The One" that are instilled in "Notorious C.H.O" but that shouldn't matter because Cho energizes the jokes as if they were popping out of the oven for the first time. Therefore, the freshness of Cho's material is adequately preserved.

Among the ditties that spring to mind are witty comparisons involving gay and straight personal ads, men and their "period" moments, her drunken-induced antics, bed-wetting, the self-acceptance of her sexual orientation and the gay lifestyle in general. But the highlight of Margaret Cho's ticklish universe is her reliable trademark punchline--the presentation of her colorful family, particularly the focus upon her beloved mother. When Cho describes Mommy Dearest and her traditional Korean ways as fodder for a generous combination of innocence and ignorance, you can tell that Cho has conflict regarding her mother's unsteady persona. But equally as poignant is Cho's obvious love for her parent that embodies an array of telling tidbits about the comic's overall makeup.

As an artistic creation, "Notorious C.H.O" is indeed a fearless showcase that's smart, exuberant and firmly provocative. There are some spotty moments in this concert film that are evident but for the most part, Margaret Cho delivers the comedy goods with the carefree patience of a door-to-door dairy products deliverywoman.

Frank rates this film: stars