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Successful performers eager to rekindle the smoldering embers of a once white-hot career often receive the counsel that they should get back to their roots, which Ellen DeGeneres does in this hour of stand-up comedy that aired on HBO June 28, 2003. On its own merits, it should remind viewers that DeGeneres remains an observational comedian of the highest order, capable of wringing laughter from the everyday with all the genius of Jerry Seinfeld or…well, actually, there aren't many in their class. But this wonderful hour also benefits from what amounts to a 2003 explosion in DeGeneres's career. First, she made her biggest splash since coming out publicly as a lesbian (on her eponymous ABC sitcom in 1997) with a hilarious voice-over turn in Disney's animated blockbuster Finding Nemo. Her breezy, affable charm has also proven a potent draw in the daytime TV talk show arena with The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which took to the air in late 2003. Viewers just discovering her through these ventures will likely be pleasantly distracted -- and often moved to vociferous laughter -- by this performance, recorded in New York's Beacon Theater early in the year. Tackling procrastination, celebrity fashion statements, public cell phone use, waving at people you think you know, and much more, DeGeneres's wit is wily and wonderful, yet never "blue." Longtime fans waiting for the comedian to hit her stride again will see that, without question, she has.

All Movie Guide

Before starring in a popular situation comedy, making her mark in movies, writing a best-selling book, and landing her own talk show, Ellen DeGeneres first made her name as one of America's best stand-up comics, and in this performance video, she shows off the dry but personable wit that has made her an audience favorite. Taped during a 2003 appearance at New York's Beacon Theater, Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now finds the comedian training her eye on the foibles of contemporary life, from personal conversations on cell phones to the slippery slope of self-esteem. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 026359201929
• Source: HBO HOME VIDEO
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
• Sound: Dolby Surround
• Language: English
• Time: 1:00:00
• Sales Rank: 12,911

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Ellen Degeneres: the Beginning/Here and Now

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