Finding Bliss

A couple years ago, Jester really ripped into Jamie Kennedy for his documentary, "Heckler," (see review, 4/29/07) that was a response to critical drubbings some of his movies got.

But with a small role in the as-yet-undistributed "Finding Bliss," which closed the Gen Art Film Festival tonight, Kennedy redeems himself by delivering with smart timing the dialogue he has playing a dumb porn star. It's the little things he does, like mistaking 'thrust' for 'trust' and deflating the naive hero of the movie, played by Leelee Sobieski, when she talks up the delayed sexual gratification that is the subject of her character's film within the film -- by summarily dismissing that as "blue balls."

"Finding Bliss" may not be the most substantial movie or greatest comedy classic ever, partly because of some obvious turns in the story, but it's a fun flick. Jamie Kennedy's part in it contributes to that sense of fun and sense of play seen onscreen.

God of Carnage

"God of Carnage," the new play on Broadway by Yasmina Reza, featuring Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden, like Reza's previous long-running hit, "Art," seen years ago, takes a seemingly simple conflict and spirals it out into illuminating dark comedy. In "Art," it was three middle-aged friends' debate over an abstract painting one bought, and in "Carnage," it's two sets of parents trying to resolve an incident where one's son knocked out the others' son's teeth.

Reza uses the premise to unwind the inevitable differences between couples, no matter how good they might seem together. The cast puts so much physical energy into their performances that you feel not just the words, but their impact. Gandolfini and Gay Harden draw a little bit on previous characters -- maybe this production is a bit tailored to them -- Gandolfini the obvious one and Gay Harden, very similar to the harpy she played in "The Mist" -- perhaps by design.

The show's dark comedy comes from the way the husbands and wives alternate both going at each other and the other couple, and at times siding with their own mate in the arguments and at other times, the others' spouse. Reza's lines, coupled with the actors' commitment, makes it all come alive and brings out that wry humor all at once.

Bill Hader

I do like to or tend to critique or rant about SNL, but here's a recent bit, where they really get it right, in no small part due to Bill Hader's talent. This sketch takes a simple tone of voice and inflection and gets all the absurdity possible out of that -- and doesn't drag or overdo it. It's written economically & compactly. Enjoy.

Seeing Tom Davis recall what he could of his years as a key writer for Saturday Night Live, both in the 1970s and in the late 1980s and early 1990s, in an appearance promoting his memoir "39 Years of Short-Term Memory Loss: The Early Days of SNL from Someone Who Was There," at the 92Y Tribeca tonight, really reinforced a critic's conviction that Lorne Michaels really does sometimes suck all the air out of comedy on the show.

Case in point -- Tracy Morgan's recent return as host, in which the opening sketch where he has trouble clearing security to get into 30 Rock was probably the only good piece Morgan was in. Morgan's old recurring character -- this points to Michaels' penchant for recurring characters ad nauseum -- Brian Fellows, was never all that funny. Since Morgan's part on "30 Rock" and that show itself, became a hit, it's become all the more evident that Tina Fey knew far better how to tap Morgan's ability to be absurd. Morgan also shines when he's a guest on Letterman as well. It almost seems like everybody but Michaels knows what to do with him.

Anyway, back to Davis. He did note Michaels' love of recurring characters, adding that he much preferred having the cast serve the idea of a sketch rather than the other way around, which is what happens with character pieces showcasing a performer instead. And in a couple old clips Davis had as part of his appearance, one saw the perfect case in point -- one of the "Franken & Davis Show" segments Davis wrote with old partner Al Franken, which imagined a male beauty pageant featuring the duo, with Belushi, Aykroyd and Bill Murray interspersed among several extras, all as contestants. Belushi had one little line thanking the host -- albeit delivered as if he were a kid thanking his mommy; and Aykroyd and Bill Murray had no lines at all, merely holding a punching bag for Franken to run into repeatedly, acting like a football player for his talent.

Delightfully stupid as this bit was, it had way more laughs than anything misusing Tracy Morgan. Davis in his middle age does give a sense that he could have been a cantankerous pain-in-the-ass to Michaels as a writer, but Davis' convictions about comedy could have been more on the mark.

Jimmy Fallon

Caught up to the premiere of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from last night, and it's actually a lot more promising than I thought it would be. The only segment that was really weak was the "Lick It for Ten," that had three audience members licking a lawnmower, a copy machine and a bowl of goldfish (not even the inside of the bowl) to win $10. And all three licked pretty tame surfaces, like the outside of the mower and the copy glass -- it wasn't like Jimmy made them get in there with the toner or the engine oil.

Also in the gags at the top of the show was a bit about blonde Connecticut moms, that was also just O.K. ... The strongest parts of the show came largely through its guests, namely a classically awkward cameo at the beginning by Conan O'Brien, still around to clean out his office; and guest Robert De Niro mocking Jimmy with his own impersonation. Another highlight was actually provided by Justin Timberlake, taking Fallon's Barry Gibb as a jumping off point for a few musical impersonations -- of John Mayer and Michael McDonald -- that were dead-on. It reminded viewers of Kevin Spacey's appearance on SNL parroting Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Christopher Walken and others.

The Roots, who have gotten a lot of press for becoming the house band for Fallon's show actually very nearly saved the "Lick It for Ten" segment, playing some sexy funk music under the action. And in backing Timberlake's impressions, and at other points in the premiere episode, showed they can pull from a vast repetoire to complement the host.

Fallon's show isn't quite as good as Conan O'Brien became over the years, but it's definitely not a Chevy Chase crash-and-burn train wreck. (Anybody remember that?)

Louis C.K.

A quick note or recommendation -- Louis C.K.'s most recent stand-up special, "Chewed Up," now on DVD, is quite masterful. Right from the start, the comedian, who also created the unique but short-lived HBO sitcom, "Lucky Louie," (see review: http://www.jesterjournal.com/site%20pages/LuckyLouie.htm), dives into forbidden words in an intelligent way. Beyond that, Louis C.K. gives an insightful every-guy's take on being married and raising kids, amazed at the quantity of poop to be cleaned, for one thing. ... He may be mining the usual observational humor staples, but Louis C.K. goes at each and every one of them in an original way.

50 First Jokes

For a few years, I've gone and checked out the Poetry Project's New Year's Day poetry marathon, but this year I guess I just wasn't up to it. But a good repeat from last year was the 3rd annual 50 First Jokes performance on January 3 produced by Claudia Cogan, Jiwon Lee and John F. O'Donnell, upgraded from the Creek and the Cave venue in Astoria, Queens, to the downstairs room at Webster Hall in Manhattan this year.

With 50 comedians each delivering the first joke they wrote for the new year (the rules ostensibly are that their bit has to be written only after the stroke of midnight on January 1), naturally there's a wide range of types of performers, but one that truly stood out, yet again, is Kumail Nanjiani, last seen just a few weeks ago opening for Zach Galifianakis at 92Y Tribeca (see http://www.jesterjournal.com/ZachG92Ytribeca.htm). Similar to a bit abut horror movieshe delivered then, Nanjiani now had his take on the new movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Referring to the fact that Cate Blanchett's character in the movie is only telling the story finally from her deathbed to her granddaughter, about Benjamin Button, the character who aged backward, being the love of her life, Nanjiani exclaimed, "And she's waited till she's dying to tell anybody about this? I would tell everyone I met, all the time! 'Hey, I'm Kumail. ... I know this guy who ages backward! Look at this Polaroid from 10 years ago! And this is him now!' "

I don't think I'm alone in appreciating his stand-up either. Nanjiani got one of the strongest reactions from the audience of any of the comics. Others certainly are accomplished and made their own marks on the show -- Livia Scott (see interview from 6/18/07: http://www.jesterjournal.com/IntScott1.htm) debut a new character, a vapid pop singer; Tom Shillue had his own take on "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus;" Matt McCarthy got physical in acting out rock music he thought would be a better score for conspiracy theory videos; and Sara Benincasa told a short story joke about a dying gay uncle who worked in a diaphragm factory (only in New Jersey could that happen, possibly).

But the "takeaway" from the night is definitely that Nanjiani has got something special. The kid is going places.