I’ve been a longtime fan of comedienne Margaret Cho, so I was very excited to see the filmed version of her stand-up, Notorious Cho. Filmed in the post 9-11 era, she jumps right at the beginning of her act, talking about that sacred cow of American experience and she manages to sound both patriotic and sarcastic seemingly without any contradictions. This characterizes the bigger themes in this movie. She seems so sure of how funny she is on stage she is able to slip in some truly positive messages without detracting from her humor.

She is crass, sexy, vulgar and hysterical. Making fun of herself at every turn, she also mocks American culture from a distinctively outsider perspective. Her comedy is informed by her racial background, her gender, her physical appearance and her sexuality. (And I notice she now alludes to being bisexual, rather than just a fag hag like she did in the 90’s.) I would think that political correctness would start to weigh her down since she speaks for so many groups, but she keeps her jokes so immensely personal that it allows her the platform to jump from her own vulnerability to imparting a message to others that conveys strength.

Overall, there are no cinematic tricks, just Margaret Cho alone on a stage. There are a few pre-show interviews which differentiate the film from the live show. And the interviews add to the film in part because you get to see even more of Cho’s amazing rendition of her mother (who is best known from Cho’s earlier stand up when she asks Are you the gay?) But more poignantly, you see an interview with Margaret’s parents. They seem incredibly proud and genuinely supportive of her career even though she makes them the object of some of her best loved jokes. It makes me blush to think that they were in the audience listening to their daughter’s raunchy stories and personal disclosures. But in then end, they saw what I saw, a distinctly empowering message from a powerhouse of a woman who is frank, honest and seriously funny.