"Wisecracks" is a documentary about women in stand-up comedy. The film features many comediennes, some very well known, others less, performing stand-up comedy live in bars. Other comedic elements include clips taken from old films and television shows, featuring women performing comedy roles. The film also features interviews with these stand-up comediennes, where they discuss the comedy life, dealing with discrimination, dealing with criticism, their choices of comedy material, and other aspects of their lives. Clearly, the stand-up life is difficult, especially for women. One comedienne describes how her comedy is rooted in the often humiliating experiences of her adolescence: constant acne, reading fashion magazines, realizing how she can never be one of those models. Another comedienne recounts her experiences working with a mainly male comedy troupe, and how she was typecast simply by her gender.
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These interviews and musings are interspersed with clips of their performances: Ellen DeGeneres talking about waiting for an elevator, Sandra Shamas on "feminine protection", Joy Behar on the glory of larger women in the Renaissance, Jenny Jones on dating, and many, many others. Indeed, this documentary is about 70% stand-up comedy performances and 30% interviews and discussion.
The review of this Movie prepared by Jan Arata
