On Demand Weekly

On Demand Weekly provides reviews of hot movies on demand and TV specials from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s review: JANEANE GAROFALO: IF YOU WILL. Tell us what you think at mailbag@ondemandweekly.com.

If Gidget had been born twenty years later, she might have grown up to be Janeane Garofalo. Petite and adorable, but tough enough to surf/play with the big boys (and with multiple tattoos). She’s perky and feisty and we like her, we really really like her! (Although she quotes a review that calls her “hard to love.”)

This self-admitted luddite may not have a web presence or tweet, but her take on certain current trends is spot on, as when talking about shaving legs segues into mentioning shaving other parts of the body she says, “If you are an adult, you should find a pre-adolescent, bald vagina utterly resistible!” Oh, and she can dish the political dirt with mental dexterity that makes Bill Maher look like Pat Buchanan.

It’s been more than ten years since we’ve seen her stand up, and we’ve missed her. In JANEANE GAROFALO: IF YOU WILL, a film of her act shot live in Seattle (at the legendary Moore Theatre), Garofalo has let go of some of her anger of old, and with it some of her bite, but she is still very funny with her salty, self-deprecating wit. She can say the most inappropriate things with such earnestness that they don’t seem wrong at all.

There are some awkwardly edited moments, and the show seems to have a bit of hesitation, as if she hadn’t worked out all the kinks, yet. But the pace is brisk and the show comes in just under an hour, so there are no energy lags.

- Jean Tait

Jean Tait is a new contributing writer to On Demand Weekly. Currently the Director of Programming for the Connecticut Film Festival, Jean has programmed for the Jacksonville Film Festival and Sundance Channel.

JANEANE GAROFALO: IF YOU WILL is available on EPIX SVOD following the June 26th premiere (<--- check here with your local cable, satellite, telco operator)

In the meantime, see a clip from the special of why Janeane  likes Natalie Portman so much. Like realllllllly likes her...