“Roseanne Barr: Blonde & Bitchin’” on HBO
This special was not on my radar until I saw the ad in the Entertainment Weekly last week. I have only seen old HBO specials with Roseanne that are dated and can hardly remember if she was funny or not. Reruns of her TV show “Roseanne” are pretty much the only way the fans could see her on TV since her talk show flopped a few years ago.
What a surprise this show was. I laughed pretty hard and actually was moved by some of her material. Roseanne is the same bitter, cackling old bitch we remember, and she is proud of it. Roseanne has always been the every day, sincere normal person she portrays on TV. Her characters are people you can relate to. This show gives us the impression she is not your everyday douche-bag celebrity.
Roseanne tells jokes that are so honest and revealing you can’t help but relate to her complaints. The government, old age, money, family and fame are all punchlines in her fresh, raw act. Roseanne has a unique delivery and a wealth of new material no other comedian would dare to touch. She says that she plays to gay crowds on cruises a lot these days, and this may have something to do with my new found love of her as well.
This special is topical, smart and very impressive. You can tell Roseanne has grown and she speaks the truth with a new spin that is refreshing. The brutally honest bits are biting and sadly too accurate. A lot has changed since the 90’s, when her show was popular. And this special points out a lot of sad contradictions. Roseanne has never been more funnier.
This special reminded me of why I never missed an episode of “Roseanne” and why through all her controversy I still rooted for her. The end of this special is worth the viewing alone. She reveals more truths and personal stuff than any other comedian I have ever seen, in the last 15 minutes of this act. Her closing jokes may be dark and truthfully sad but we get the sense that Roseanne is telling the truth, and through the non stop laughing that is a neat thing to realize.
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