For those who only know Bill Cosby from his TV shows, this film will show you why he got to do them. It also shows a more mature, thoughtful Cosby than the comic recorded in his earlier works, but one who hasn't yet aged into over-sentimentality, as he eventually did. His bits, which are loosely strung together in a sort of connect-the-dots" way, certainly resonate with every American who has seen typical family life during the latter half of the 20th century, and do so simply by holding up a mirror and pointing out our own absurdities to us. Best of all, he does so without ever getting cruel, mean spirited, or vulgar. (There is only 1 single word in the entire film that would need to be censored for broadcast TV, and its relatively mild.) This is almost certainly Cosby's "career best". I'd love to know how long it took to write and refine, because there isn't a klunker in the lot. some bits are funnier than others, but all of them are very very funny. Be prepared to laugh until it hurts, and be sure only to drink when you see Cosby take a drink onstage, otherwise you risk flooding your sinuses as you try to laugh and drink at the same time (as I did).
Review of Bill Cosby: Himself
