Margaret Cho: I'm the One That I Want

I gave this film a 10 rating. I struggled with that, because although I feel that this comedy film is truly outstanding, the pace through me off for a moment or two. She comes on stage in a flash of energy and dives right in with the one liners. I had tears in my eyes. But then around the middle, the stories became more involved, not so funny. But then she gets the motor going again at the end.

The fact is Margaret Cho is the funniest woman alive. I identify with her life so much it scares me. The mother-answering-machine jokes are pee-in-your-pants funny, although a little too long in the tooth. The main reason I gave this film a 10 out of 10 is mainly for the brutal honesty Margaret gives the audience. She can't be making this stuff up!

Some of the highlights of the show are: "Lesbians love whale watching!", " Am I Gay? Am I Straight? No, I'm just easy. Where's my parade?" and the always laughable, "A**Masters" skit. Always a crowd favorite.

After I rented this movie, I went right to the web and bought this disc. I highly recommend this flick to any fan of stand up comedy. The special features are worth the purchase price.

I saw this about 3 years ago. I really wanted to see it after hearing about it at her website. This was much different from her previous routines as this was a one woman show rather than stand up comedy. This first few minutes are pretty slow where she talks about sexuality.

When she gets into the meat of the show ("The All American Girl" incident), that is where she excels. We hear the story behind the failure of the show, Margaret "selling out" to the show's plot (An episode has her making fun of her parents at a club, something she does often in her routine. In the end, she publicly apologizes for making fun of her parents), losing weight rapidly because the network told her too, and a whole lot more. When she gets serious, we feel her pain. When it was cancelled, she goes into a downward spiral. I loved her retort when she replaced by Drew Carey ("Because he was so thin" lol).

I love the empowerment Margaret gives herself when she realizes that losing a show was not the living end. She knows better now because of those unattainable goals that Hollywood sets up for women and ethnic comedians. She shows her strength and defiance against the system. In the end, she comes out a winner.

As a fan of her for several years now, I feel that her performance in "I'm the One That I Want" isn't as well-paced and sharply, unrelentingly funny as her previous stand-up performances. She seems to "ham-it-up" a lot more in this performance. Also, whereas in past stand-up performances, the laughs would come rapid-fire, one after another (I guess because of time-restraints), Margaret seems to be stretching out her jokes a little too long, either through repeating the same thing over and over (e.g.the "vagina-washer" bit, "fag-hag") or by making silly faces and ogling at the camera.

This is not to say that this movie isn't funny, there are some bits that are absolutely hilarious. Her best material is the stuff regarding Asians, such as the prejudice and stereotyping (e.g. The Margaret Cho Rice Diet, the "Asian Thing") and her impressions of her decidedly ethnic Korean mother. While I used to like her material about gays, it seems like she hams it up a little too much here, and is specifically playing it up for her large gay audience. It feels more forced in this performance. That being said, "Ass master" still made me laugh till I cried.

All in all, a good performance with some rather sad and touching(but not necessarily funny) material about her ordeal with her failed sitcom. She is becoming little too much "drama-queen" or "diva" though and it takes a toll on her humor. I liked her "raunchy, rebellious, F the system, Asian-chick" persona much better.

Ahhh, you're in for a treat. This woman has something to say and she says it in the best ways possible-- funny, edgy, self-effacing, step off buddy, been-there and Hi, I'm baaaack.

And just in time. I love you, Margaret Cho. I've heard the ass master bit fifteen, twenty times, and you still make me laugh. God bless you.

It's interesting how easily male stand-up comedians slip into their eponymous network sitcoms, and how difficult it is to fit a female comedian into one. Cho gives us her story, and then she gives us her new mantra-- I'm the one that I want. This is the kind of tape you'll want to have around, not necessarily because of the humor, but because of the message. If you've never heard of Margaret Cho, then know that she is one of the best around. A 'must see'.

I'd never heard of Margaret Cho before "I'm the One That I Want" came out, but since then she's become a real fixture in the entertainment industry. In this performance, she talks about her various experiences in life, such as a lesbian cruise. Some of it makes you think "OK, that's more than I needed to know" (you'll know it when you hear it), but you never stop laughing.

Cho's concert documentary "Assassin" featured her with some more toned-down material, but no less right-on. She's certainly an admirable person and great comedian. It's great to know that we have someone like her to reflect modern humor.