Bill Maher: Be More Cynical

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Product Description ------------------- Bill Maher: Be More Cynical (DVD) Bill Maher, creator of the immensely popular late-night talk show Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and host of the HBO hit series Real Time with Bill Maher, displays his celebrated, biting wit in the HBO Comedy Special, Bill Maher: Be More Cynical. Doing what he loves most, stand-up comedy, Maher rips through a horde of contemporary topics, from the evils of big government to the bewildering power women have over men, and delivers a landmark performance that re-affirms why he is one of today's brightest and most revered comedians. ]]> .com ---- The wit and wisdom of Bill Maher are on display in this hour-long performance, recorded in San Francisco in 2000. Of course, just how witty and wise Maher appears will depend on one's socio-political stance. Outspoken if not outrageously controversial (this gig preceded his infamous remark on his Politically Incorrect show that the 9/11 hijackers were "not cowardly"), Maher espouses views on sex, the war on drugs, religion, and other popular (and, let's face it, easy) targets that are unlikely to endear him to, say, residents of most "red states." Still, there is one opinion that this self-procled Libertarian and his conservative counterparts might well share--namely, that big government is decidedly not a beautiful thing. Indeed, Maher's point is that we need to "be more cynical" not for its own sake, but so that we might avoid being duped by the real cynics out there, like those in Congress who sue Big even as they line their own pockets with campaign contributions from those same companies. Elsewhere, although Maher doesn't specialize in one-liners, he does have some good lines: Princess Diana was "a lovely housewife who did some charity work"; when it comes to being faithful in a relationship, "men are only as loyal as their options"; those who cl to comprehend God's will really only "understand God as your dog understands you." The main problem with some of this material is that it's dated; taking s at George W. Bush before he was elected for the first time isn't exactly fresh years after the fact. --Sam Graham