You So Crazy (1994)

 One of the more interesting comedians that is out there is Martin Lawrence. His take on African American culture, as well as culture in general, has put him on the map as one of the most prolific actor in Hollywood. And in the 90s, he was everywhere on the comedic scene. Landing small roles in both television and film, Martin eventually made a name for himself with the TV series 'Martin'. And eventually, with his 1994 feature stand-up film “You So Crazy”. Filmed before a live audience in New York City, Martin jokes and pokes fun at a selection of topics like drugs and alcohol, and especially sex, all uncensored. That's right, harsh language, and suggestive content is all here for the adults to witness and view. However, considering that this came out in 1994, a lot of the humor as aged and has become dated. But that doesn't mean the film is bad; it's just flawed, in certain areas. While “You So Crazy” may not hold up as well among other stand-up features, it more than makes up for it by showcasing the talent of Martin Lawrence.

In this concert feature, comedian Martin Lawrence plays to a full house a lot of jokes surrounding on a potpourri of items. Dressing in a black leather outfit, Martin addresses his audience about his perspective on the world at the time. These do include, being in jail, reminiscing about childhood, and concerning women. This last topic is the major concern of the last part of the feature.

“You So Crazy” is a rather interesting concept. It takes Martin Lawrence's comedy from being acceptable, to being downright raunchy.

That's the key word emphasized here: raunchy. Martin does everything in his body to make absolutely sure that you are paying attention. Whether it is from his body movement, or from his mouth. Especially his mouth. From what he says, nothing is sacred. From the likes of masturbation, and being sexually active with women, it seems like everything is fair game.

And considering that this is a concert feature, it can get very funny during certain moments. Hearing the words come out of Martin's mouth in a quick fashion, it's rather fascinating to hear. And you get to hear a lot of the audience's reactions in a formidable manner.

But with that being said, there are some major problems concerning “You So Crazy”. And you would think that they would be overlooked, but no.

Considering that the movie came out in 1994, most of the special is dated by a long shot. This mostly concerns the first third of the feature, as the humor presented here is relevant to the time period in which this came out. Examples of this include Jeffery Dahmer and the topic of racism. Things that could be very relatable during the early 1990s. If one does not do any sort of research on the decade in which this movie came out, then a lot of the jokes will go over a lot of people's heads.

Since this is a feature, one could expect a lot of cinematic qualities as well. But no. We don't even get shots of the audience reacting to the humor. It's mostly focused on Martin, and nothing else. And that can be a bit disappointing.

Another major issue is that the pacing can be an annoyance. At only 85 minutes, the film goes by rather quickly, and not giving the audience a chance to breath from the humor. Speaking of which, there are some bits included in the act that feel more like if it was written for either a sitcom or a sketch comedy. It just makes you wonder what could have been.

But there is effort being put here, and I will praise that.

In conclusion, “You So Crazy” does show off the talent of Martin Lawrence, but adjust yourself to when this originally came out, and you'll be fine.