RENO: REBEL WITHOUT A PAUSE
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: Reno is a popular comedian and performance
artist on the stage in New York and on cable. This
play is her experiences on September 11 and her
reflections on the meaning of it all. Humor is
subjective and what she does is not offensive but is
rarely what I consider to be funny. Rating: 4
(0 to 10), low 0 (-4 to +4)
Part of the September 11 themed material at the Toronto International Film Festival was RENO: REBEL WITHOUT A PAUSE, a filmed stand-up performance-art routine. Reno (that is her only professional name) tells her experiences: some with Creation Scientists, some on September 11, and some after September 11. She talks about government policy and about public reaction.
The first relevant question is "is her material funny?" I found myself laughing once and smiling three or four times. That is not a very high average. I could have done better spending my admission price on a Dave Barry or Far Side book. In fairness, there were people in the audience who did laugh, but her material just did not work very well with me.
Reno is a brash woman with an almost overpowering presence. She reminds me a lot of Bette Midler. Much of the problem with the film is that a lot of her humor seemed to be making points that just were not true. She was just a few blocks from the site and she jokes about why watch it on TV if you can see it live. Well the answer is obvious, you might want to know more than what does the site look like. She complains bitterly that constitutional law must apply to the government even in this state of emergency. True enough. But she ends the presentation being very upset that someone expressed ideas she didn't like. She called 911 to report it. Does she think that by tying up a 911 line she can get them to revoke somebody's First Amendment Right? Does she have to tie up a 911 line to complain?
Reno has her share of good points to make, but occasionally her presentation is a bit incoherent, sometimes she seems wrong in her beliefs. In general, this film could have used a little more thought. The camerawork is jerky. Overall the presentation is lacking. It works neither as a political statement nor as an effective comedy routine.
Reno began writing this comedy routine about October 11, 2001, and was filmed under the direction of Nancy Savoca on December 19, 2001. Some of the New York humor may not be meaningful outside of New York. I rate RENO: REBEL WITHOUT A PAUSE a 4 on the 0 to 10 scale and a low 0 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@optonline.net
Copyright 2002 Mark R. Leeper
========== X-RAMR-ID: 33074 X-Language: en X-RT-AuthorID: 1309 X-RT-RatingText: 4/10
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