Image Entertainment | 2010 | 48 mins. | NR
Whitney Cummings is a comedienne on the rise. She can be seen regularly on Chelsea Lately and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. I was introduced to her through the hilarious bits she delivered at the Comedy Central roasts of David Hasselhoff and Joan Rivers. Given her participation in the roasts, and other Comedy Central programs such as Denis Leary’s Douchebags and Donuts, it’s no surprise that the network gave Cummings her own hour long special, Money Shot, available now on uncensored DVD.
Money Shot finds Cummings spending a lot of time on well worn territory—the differences between men and women and how both tend to behave in relationships. Before you start to roll your eyes, know that Cummings approaches the subject in a way that makes it appealing and funny. She’s also a nice mix of styles. A foul-mouthed “guy’s girl,” she doesn’t capitulate any of her femininity to be accepted by the males in the audience. She’s an equal opportunity offender when it comes to the sexes.
For every joke that works, there’s one or two that don’t. It’s not that their flat out stinkers—she’s too good for that—some of the material feels like it’s been done before. Cummings is at her best when the punch lines come out of left field; occasionally taking a very dark turn. Nothing in Money Shot is quite as edgy as I’ve seen on the uncensored Comedy Central roasts, but it’s easy to see why she’s gotten so much attention over the last couple of years. Never a fan of stand-ups who adopt a pose or develop a pose, or adopt a stage persona, I appreciate the fact that Whitney Cummings seems like she’s just putting a part of herself out there.
While Money Shot is a bit uneven, it shows enough flashes of greatness to make you think Whitney Cummings could be a force to reckon with in the next few years. If you’re a fand of stand-ups, pick up Whitney Cummings: Money Shot. I have a feeling were all going to be hearing a lot more about her in the years to come.
The DVD transfer is decent, offering solid detail and shading. The stage set-up is simple and has an appealing purple/blue palette. Audio is fine, with a generous mix of crowd noise that never overwhelms Cummings’ delivery.
There are no special features included.
