Watching Wanda
Wanda Sykes has several solid comedy careers.She's an actress, featured in recurring roles on TV's Curb Your Enthusiasm and The New Adventures of Old Christine, and her own short-lived series, Wanda at Large. Her filmography includes Monster-in-Law, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Evan Almighty. Add to those, a growing body of off-camera voice work (Crank Yankers, Over the Hedge, Barnyard).
In addition to creating her performance material, she's written for The Chris Rock Show, Premium Blend, and the 2002 Academy Awards. Her first book as a published author, Yeah I Said It, a collection of funny essays, appeared in 2004.
However, in recent years, she's emerged as a top draw in stand-up comedy, yielding a concert special, Wanda Sykes: Tongue Untied, a slew of talk show appearances (The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show), and a somewhat related reality series, Wanda Does It.
The Show: Acerbic in Seattle
Add to those, the fresh act of Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired, a personal appearance taped live over two nights before boisterous crowds in Seattle. The widescreen DVD, distributed by Image Entertainment, unleashes the acerbic, observational wit on a wide variety of topics: flying, American Idol, the Department of Personal Shoppers, the economy, racist dolphins, politicians, senior citizens on the Internet, racial profiling, marriage (traditional and gay), pornography, missing hookers, and "good old-fashioned caveman clubbings."The great social debates of our era, white criminals vs. black criminals, men vs. dogs, and Wanda's left breast vs. Wanda's right breast, are examined and weighed. Wanda's right breast, as the fates would have it, receives the kudos and special complimentary lighting.
Along her path, we're advised and enlightened.
"We've got to quit comparing men to dogs. Men are not dogs. Dogs are loyal."More quotes would have been featured here, but they don't play so well in text. Ms. Sykes' humor relies heavily on her distinctive vocal inflections, more often than not laced with sarcasm. Her tough gal stance and physical punctuations add greatly to the set, especially during extended detours into the true tale of driving over Daddy, detachable vaginas, and "the older I get, the less I care.""What have we learned from our space travels? I mean, really, what has NASA given us other than a f****** mattress you can jump up and down on and not spill your wine?"
Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired is a vigorous entertainment, clocking in at 70 minutes. It's over before we have a chance to, you know, stop feeling Hearty & Upbeat.
The Package: Perks and Cons
The DVD's extras are two-fold. There's a question and answer session with the audience as an encore, plus Wanda visits a Seattle radio station to promote her stage appearance.
The downside for certain viewers would be the explicit content, amplified by a significant use of profanity. My impression is her vocabulary choices are not gratuitous, reasonable under the circumstances, but the show certainly is not for everyone. A *clean* version -- even with those anecdotes of the fascinating and probably very marketable detachable vaginas -- could be acceptable to sensitive ears, but that's not Wanda. You won't find it here.
Additionally, the vicious state of America's current political climate could incite a tune-out factor due to the snark of Ms. Sykes' liberal viewpoints. Half of the potential audience will adore the comments, but some may place her on the swift road to "EJECT."
Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired on CD
An audio compact disc version of the show, not previewed, is also available. Compare Prices.Mike Durrett worked as a comedian in radio and independent films, and as a professional comedy writer for entertainment personalities before producing and writing About Humor as our Guide, starting in 1998. He publishes original humor on MikeDurrett.com and TheTopOneList.com. Click for more info on Humor Boy.
