Margaret Cho: Beautiful (DVD)

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Vulgar, profane language. Socially unacceptable racial terminology. Behind closed door synonyms for just about every body part that performs a sexual function. You though might think it´s a man´s world out there in regards to stand-up comedy, you´re ever so wrong. And my guess is you´ve probably never heard of Margaret Cho.

Cho takes a pretty unfiltered, no holds barred approach to her work. And why not? She´s a minority within a minority, as there aren´t too many Asian women making big strides in the American stand-up comedian scene. In a world where everything is supposed to be politically correct and inoffensive to just about every demographic out there, Cho has taken off her gloves and tossed them far out of reach. She also doesn´t seem to care whether or not critics like her material, so long as she´s making people laugh. Maybe this is what makes her so very popular.

She´s been well known for a good fifteen years, and "Beautiful" is a tour she did in mid-to-late 2008. The routine presented on this Image Entertainment release was filmed nine days before the historic presidential election that year, and Cho frequently reminds her viewers just how important this matter is. She´s fearlessly political, but whether or not you agree with her unique takes on controversial subjects like gay marriage and abortion is, of course, another story.

Filmed at the Long Beach Terrace Theater, "Beautiful" is Cho´s palace from beginning to end. She saunters onto the dimly lit stage in a semi-formal black evening gown that offsets quite prominently with her upper body (it´s covered in tattoos, and Cho has become an enthusiast since 2006), and holds her position next to a stool and in between two easels with images of her face. Cho doesn´t really pace back and forth much, nor is there any fun audience participation. What happens in the eighty or so minute run time is a unique blend of insults, political commentary, sexual innuendo and, depending on your perspective, humor and chuckles.

I´ve never seen a stand-up comedian begin with a phrase like "I (expletive) hate Sarah Palin," but there´s a first time for everything, I suppose. Cho gets going before the audience finished applauding her presence, and it´s a non-stop adventure from that point forward. She´s quick to get to sex, commenting on gay and lesbian couples far more regularly than heterosexual ones. According to Cho, not only do gay men make the best lovers, but they are also much more attractive than straight men. And although Cho´s been married 2003, she comments frequently about her own lesbian experiences, including the many different shapes, sizes and smells that female bodies may possess.

We learn how unhappy Cho gets when she hears from those who don´t exactly agree with homosexuality. "I (expletive) hate it when people say they tolerate gays," she states. "What the (expletive) does that (expletive) mean? And who the (expletive) cares?" It seems as though her real comments are more about gender identity and its construction than anything else. Cho indirectly challenges her fans and viewers, and wants them to ask not just why someone spouts these comments and believes in these processes, but what components from their physical and cultural experience might contribute to such a mindset.

She also focuses on beauty throughout, hence the disc´s and tour´s title. Cho argues, amidst profanity and taboo sexual language, that everyone is beautiful in his or her own unique way, and that as individuals we perform better in our daily lives if we believe it ourselves. She acknowledges how hard this is in a society where people with big pockets and access to almost anything they can buy make decisions and have power, but urges those watching to stand tall and, quite simply, "be beautiful."