You can safely divide comedians into defined fields of how offensive and/or outrageous their material is in the context of stand-up. Some comedians can be listened to on a family road trip in between sing-alongs and listening to the stories of grandma from back when she was young; others you wouldn’t want your parents knowing you’ve even heard of them. Janeane Garofalo falls into roughly the same category as David Cross or Denis Leary, a subgroup of comedians who set off on rants about some social faux pas that they insist they witness on a daily basis but that the audience didn’t realize they hated until just that moment (which is what a good comedian should do). However, Garofalo, just like Cross in his latest DVD release, has toned down her screams of outrage and protest in favor of a more level and steady pace that plays better for repeat viewings. Janeane Garofalo: If You Will – Live in Seattle lets her re-establish a persona after a perceived hiatus from the spotlight, and her material is sharp and never feels too overbearing or accusatory in the way some of her older material did. This is a calmer, more focused Garofalo.
First up on the list is one of Garofalo’s favorite subjects from the olden days: sexuality – in this case, her lack thereof. Despite her boyfriend of 10 years being her roommate, Janeane has found bliss in crossing sexual attraction, and all the pretense that goes with it, off her list of daily things to do. Then she moves into territory that Sinbad himself recently had to tackle: what has she been doing for the last 5 years? Where was she? Now when she goes around town, she doesn’t have people pointing her out as being that Janeane Garofalo lady, but rather people offer that, with no offense intended, that she resembles that Garofalo lady who used to be in movies. It’s a fair question considering she fell off the map at the beginning of the new millennium only to reappear suddenly in a role in 24.
Adding to her perceived disappearance is her lack of online presence, as her agent calls it. For you see, Garofalo isn’t a fan of all these newfangled internet technologies like Twitter and Facebook, because she doesn’t use a computer at all. She doesn’t understand the modern obsession with everything digital and she makes this quite clear in a humorous biting segment. This summary of the segment isn’t funny, but she is. We promise.
Additionally, Janeane has some fun takes on the shortcomings of the intervention process. The segment has some similarities to Cross’s bit on the same subject (though his was more about the show Intervention while hers is a remembrance of her own experience – which she feels was filled with lies and deceit). When she gets around to talking about animals, you know for certain that the pissed off Garofalo of stand-up routines past is no longer present in the room. Janeane’s sentimentality shone through slightly in her talks about her asexuality and new perspective on romance, but when she starts talking about puppies and the shelter you realize she’s softened over the years.
It’s a solid stand-up performance, and while only an hour long, she does perfectly well in reminding people how she made a name for herself back in the day. What doesn’t track though is the necessity of releasing it on Blu-ray. Garofalo is funny, but her onstage in a tank top doesn’t really warrant the HD treatment and the extras certainly aren’t so overwhelming as to require multiple gigabytes of space. Buying this one on DVD makes the most sense.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Two funny featurettes include Garofalo receiving a little girl as a pet from two fans and how she quickly tires of a pet that doesn’t stay focused on her and matures. The second featurette is a false interview session and dream sequence with a Republican Representative incapable of defending his own political beliefs.
"Janeane Garofalo: If You Will - Live in Seattle" is on sale September 14, 2010 and is not rated. Comedy. Directed by Ryan Polito. Written by Janeane Garofalo. Starring Janeane Garofalo.
