Martin Lawrence: You So Crazy

HBO | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

Although he had tasted success on the stand up circuit and even starred in a hit television program, Martin Lawrence soon took his act to the big screen with this stand up feature, You So Crazy. Lawrence comes across in his usual attack mode, with both guns blazing and aimed at all sorts of topics here. As he paces across the stage, Lawrence talks about life, love, and of course, sex, but those are just a small sample of the material he covers. He really works the crowd also, with all sorts of facial expressions and reactions that add even more humor, which is always good in a comedic driven feature. His rants delve into some very potentially offensive areas, which is why the film was slated with an NC-17 rating, although listed as unrated on the disc's case. Lawrence also talks about serial killers, the L.A. riots, Rodney King, police officers, and a wealth of other current event topics. Of course, some of his subjects seem a little dated these days, but at the time, this was cutting edge material, to be sure.

I've loved Martin Lawrence's work for as long as I can remember, back to his days as a stand up comedian with a penchant for curse words. Of course, he has become a movie star these days with such flicks as Big Momma's House, Blue Streak, and Bad Boys under his belt. He wasn't always a box office star however, as he was once on a high rated television show, as well his work as a successful stand up performer. His act has changed more than a little since the time this piece was made, but the basic formula is still present and he is still funny as heck, so even new fans should check this out. He spills a lot of profane words and deals with some potentially offensive subject matter, so if you're easily offended, You So Crazy isn't the stand up feature you're looking for. Lawrence seems in excellent form here and really works the crowd, both with his jokes and his various reactions. If you're a fan of Lawrence's work or just want a good stand up release, then I recommend this disc, as it supplies a lot of laughs.

Martin Lawrence: You So Crazy is presented in a full frame transfer. I am not sure, but I think this is an altered edition, as this played in theaters and I am almost sure it was shown in a widescreen aspect ratio. But whether this is an open matte or pan & scan version, I have no idea, but I do think this seems to be an acceptable format. The image is pretty good, although some grain and edge enhancement do force me to lower the score. The colors and contrast seem in order however and in the end, this is a more than solid visual presentation.

As you should know, this is a taped edition of a live comedy performance and as such, audio is limited to Lawrence's dialogue and various crowd noises. This means the included 2.0 surround track is more than adequate and while the surrounds don't rattle much, the basics are covered well and that's what matters. You can always hear Lawrence's rants and since he is the sole focus here, that's enough to pass this one. Some added depth comes from the crowd, but not to the extent that it distracts from the main area.

This disc includes a talent file on Lawrence, as well as the film's theatrical trailer.