DVD Review by Manda Bull
What ever happened to Janeane Garofalo? A 90s icon, she was my idol during my teen years. Right up there with Daria. (Who she was rumored to have voiced.) With her trademark dark humor, she made her breakthrough performance in the angsty classic, Reality Bites and later in (my sleeper favorite) 200 Cigarettes.
I haven’t kept up on Janeane’s career in the past few years. (I don’t consider politics a source of entertainment and I don’t have TV.) So, the opportunity to catch up with Janeane was really exciting. If You Will was filmed during her recent tour in Seattle in May of 2010. This DVD features an hour-long stand-up routine, plus two extra comedy sketches reminiscent of her days on The Ben Stiller Show. If You Will is also available to watch online on EpixHD.
You won’t find jokes with punch lines here. Janeane is a storyteller at heart. Covering a variety of topics, such as her disinterest in sex, to her lack of “web presence” and her love of dogs and fat babies; she ping-pongs from one to the next, always cynical, honest and silly. Let’s just say…I learned a lot about Ms. Garofalo. She talks about some serious stuff…brings up some great points. It seemed like the audience wasn’t sure whether or not it’s okay to laugh at her wish to be a “high-functioning alcoholic”. If anything, this is a woman with an incredibly unique point-of-view, and that makes her fascinating. Missed her.