...and I mean all of these as compliments, if that makes sense. Richard Lewis's first TV stand-up comedy special is also the first of his I've seen, though I once heard some of his stand-up work on CD. On camera, it is actually a much more rewarding, and hysterically funny, experience than just with the audio. Lewis doesn't do particularly 'physical' comedy, but it makes his material gel best if you see him just doing it up there, never in one place, his hand motions and arms going about at times in manic motions. It's his off-kilter, random humor that makes him completely worthwhile. He talks here about doing stand-up in Maine and the deep south, his family (from whom he once thought about getting a "family by-pass surgery"), his romantic life (or lack thereof), and so forth. Although the intermittent interruptions of the stand-up, featuring the likes of Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Harold Ramis, and even Lewis's shrink, are amusing at first, it's really a sort of drag when it comes to wanting to see the real goods. Still, that so much is packed into such a short amount of time, and that as a viewer you have to stay alert to all the references and topical/Jewish humor, is really captivating. You may not even remember some of the jokes or lines once it's over, but you may want to watch it again anyway.
