Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Damon Wayans: The Last Stand? (USA; Terry McCoy, 1990)


      It is interesting to watch old comedy routines and observe which bits are still applicable today and which ones are outdated snippets of their times. For instance, the AIDS and gay-related jokes of Eddie Murphy's Delirious (1983) and Raw (1987) stand-up shows seem ignorant and explicitly bigoted when seen today. However, Murphy's influence on future comedians cannot be denied and is felt strongly here as Wayans deals with similar topics such as police brutality, muscle men trying to fuck you in the ass (Mike Tyson standing in for Mr. T here) and the proper way to satisfy women sexually (incidentally, Raw is explicitly referenced by Wayans when talking about his nephew). While Wayans 'Handy Man' bit may be a bit controversial, if not flat-out insensitive, most of his material stands the test of time, even if his observations on the increasing gangstarization of black youth in NYC may lose some of its immediacy. The main exception to this may be Wayans long segment on the hypocrisy of televangelists, a phenomenon that grew staggeringly popular during Reagan's 80s. The characterization of, and reference to, these disgraced personalities may be hard to fully grasp for those without the historical knowledge of what and who they were. In any case, regardless of actuality, Wayans confirms with his last stand that laughter is indeed truly his game, no matter what decade you may be watching him from.

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