Everybody loves Bill Cosby, not just for his humor but for the social commentary. I liked how the Cosby Show was just a show about people being people, not focusing on racial issues. It makes me think how the first black president of the United States will always be "the first black president". I guess it will take black US president two or three before it finally progresses to people just being people. Bill Cosby had that down early, in the 1980s. So in a way he was the first black entertainer to not need to base all his humor on his minority status.
Unfortunately, the humor in Bill Cosby: Himself is not at all edgy. The movie is simply a live recording of one of his stand-up shows. Compared to today's stand up comedians there's really nothing wild about it, and personally I don't have any kids so the family jokes were fine but didn't strike me.
The worst part of the film, and the reason I downgraded it to a 6 out of 10, was the casual references to child abuse. Giving kids a "beating" wasn't really appropriate in the 1980s and today it is the kind of thing that no stand-up comedian would touch, even if they're talking trash about celebrities and drug use.
So I would call Bill Cosby: Himself, mildly amusing, worth a few laughs but definitely not must-see material.
Who should see this film:
-- Serious Bill Cosby fans only, but then again, serious Bill Cosby fans may already be familiar with this work
-- Everyone else, skip it I'll give Bill Cosby: Himself a 6 out of 10.
Unfortunately, the humor in Bill Cosby: Himself is not at all edgy. The movie is simply a live recording of one of his stand-up shows. Compared to today's stand up comedians there's really nothing wild about it, and personally I don't have any kids so the family jokes were fine but didn't strike me.
The worst part of the film, and the reason I downgraded it to a 6 out of 10, was the casual references to child abuse. Giving kids a "beating" wasn't really appropriate in the 1980s and today it is the kind of thing that no stand-up comedian would touch, even if they're talking trash about celebrities and drug use.
So I would call Bill Cosby: Himself, mildly amusing, worth a few laughs but definitely not must-see material.
Who should see this film:
-- Serious Bill Cosby fans only, but then again, serious Bill Cosby fans may already be familiar with this work
-- Everyone else, skip it I'll give Bill Cosby: Himself a 6 out of 10.