Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (2005)

64% of critics liked it
(98 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(20,753 ratings)

Comedian Sarah Silverman cheerfully ignores any and all taboos in this performance film based on her hit off-Broadway show. Combining stand-up material with comedy sketches and musical numbers, Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic is dominated by Silverman's typically edgy monologues, including bits on… More Comedian Sarah Silverman cheerfully ignores any and all taboos in this performance film based on her hit off-Broadway show. Combining stand-up material with comedy sketches and musical numbers, Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic is dominated by Silverman's typically edgy monologues, including bits on racism, September 11, family dysfunction, drug abuse, rape, the Holocaust and plenty of other unlikely sources of comedy guaranteed to make viewers squirm while they laugh. Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic had its American premier at the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 12 min.
Directed By: Liam Lynch
Written By: Sarah Silverman
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 11, 2005 Limited
On DVD: Jun 6, 2006
Studio: Roadside Attractions

Critic Reviews

Bill Muller, Arizona Republic
I wouldn't take my mother, but this stand-up movie is pretty funny.
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle
Silverman comes across as a racist, callous diva in Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
As a concert film, Jesus Is Magic proves totally lacking in electricity, and for me, even the funnier lines produced only chuckles.
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Jesus Is Magic is the second part of the title of comic Sarah Silverman's very funny, very wrong movie, which weaves wacky musical numbers and odd backstage moments with an L.A. performance of her one-woman show.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Silverman's abrasive material is funny because her approach is friendly.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
If you can stand the profanity, the crudeness, and the merciless strafing of all things noble and sacrosanct, then you'll find yourself huddled over in a painful ball of nonstop guffaws.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Silverman's full-on approach works because she unflinchingly examines these themes with a disarming sweetness.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
Her comic persona is that of a clueless and politically incorrect hipster who says terrible things without being aware of their shock value. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
Ellen E Jones, Total Film
By the end you'll feel like a bored parent trapped in the front row of the school play.
Tim Evans, Sky Movies
Ultimately, it's difficult to resist...especially when she comes out with lines like: "I don't care if you think I'm racist - I just want you to think I'm thin."
Jeff Otto, IGN Movies UK
Skip this one and check Sarah Silverman out on stage for real.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Her high-wire stage performance is unmissable all the same, particularly when she's taking aim at such untouchable sacred cows as Martin Luther King. "They only mention the good stuff! He was a litterbug."
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Bad-taste material, delivered with an insouciance that looks easy until you see lesser comics trying it, is what she does best: killer gags about seven-year-old lesbians and Jews killing Jesus.
Kevin Maher, Times [UK]
Hit'n'miss gags that target 9/11, rape, the Holocaust and Aids ("If God gives you Aids, I say, 'Make Lemon-Aids'!") prove that Silverman is a gifted performer but that sometimes busting taboos isn't enough in itself.
Richard Luck, Film4
It's uneven and the relationship between your sense of taste and your sense of humour will determine whether you enjoy it, but at its best, Jesus Is Magic doesn't look out of place alongside the best stand-up concert movies.
Tim Arthur, Time Out
Not to everyone's taste but her legions of internet fans won't be disappointed. Anyone who can come up with a line like 'I don't care if you think I'm a racist, I just want you to think I'm thin,' is okay in our books.
David Noh, Film Journal International
There is a healthy release to be had in this address of our shared, so-often-facile Hallmark-card reverence. Humor can be the best weapon after all.
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
Silverman fails at what she does not because she says dirty things, but because that's all she says, and she's not very good at it.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Silverman's raunchy pretend comedy act can't sustain its energy and humor.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Aaron N

Sarah Silverman: Who cares? Different religions. I guess the only time it's an issue I suppose would be if you're having a baby, you have to figure out how you want to raise your baby or whatever, which still would not be an issue for us. Because you know, we'd just be… More
Sarah Silverman: Who cares? Different religions. I guess the only time it's an issue I suppose would be if you're having a baby, you have to figure out how you want to raise your baby or whatever, which still would not be an issue for us. Because you know, we'd just be honest, and say "Mommy is one of the chosen people, and Daddy believes that Jesus is magic." A strangely edited concert film showcasing Sarah Silverman. One's enjoyment of Silverman as a comedian is certainly going to be the deciding factor here. I am on an OK level with her work as a comedian. I can appreciate her balance between being edgy and borderline racist and I do like how very deliberate she is with her choice of words, pauses on stage, and throwaway one-liners. This film is kind of messy. There is a very unfunny framing device, musical numbers that are OK, and the majority of the film is one particular stand-up session. I never found anything really laugh out loud hilarious, but it was often humorous and a good look at what Silverman has to offer as a comedian. Ok film if you like her style. Sarah Silverman: When God gives you AIDS - and God does give you AIDS, by the way - make lemonAIDS.
James A

If you took away all the musical numbers than this could have been a lot better.
Gordon A

I'm not sure if Silverman is an edgy genius or an intensely irritating attention seeking egotist. A bit like Robin Williams. She undoubtedly has no fear and pricks your conceptions on all the taboos. Her relentless desire to shock does get a little wearing though.
Michael G

The comedy sequences were funny in that really inappropriate way, which is Silverman's schtick. The musical numbers were really annoying. What it comes down to is you either really like Sarah Silverman or you hate her guts. If you hate her, don't bother.
Rico Z

Hilarious stand-up comidenne. This movie will make you laugh until your sides are about to split. The combination of stand-up and interlaced vignettes and musical numbers add a great element to this one-woman show. The subject matter ranges from the religious to the sexual and racist… More
Hilarious stand-up comidenne. This movie will make you laugh until your sides are about to split. The combination of stand-up and interlaced vignettes and musical numbers add a great element to this one-woman show. The subject matter ranges from the religious to the sexual and racist then back again. But through everything, the material is deliciously offensive and uproariously funny and methodical. None of it is an accident. Sarah Silverman is one of the funniest women in showbiz and she knows it. The bit with the bottled water is classic and don't forget to stick around at the end to see her understudy entertain the crowd. This is one of the most offensive films you will ever see-- in my opinion! And that's not a bad thing at all. It's beautiful because Sarah is an equal opportunity offender. Great view!
Jon O

Not as funny as her TV show and considerably less charming. But, she's still just as hot.
Joey N

I didn't realize that I had already watched this movie several times over via youtube clips!! haha It's kind of hard to grade, because as an actual movie, it's really bad. Horribly put together and I'd say 80 or 85% of it is her doing standup. But that is a… More
I didn't realize that I had already watched this movie several times over via youtube clips!! haha It's kind of hard to grade, because as an actual movie, it's really bad. Horribly put together and I'd say 80 or 85% of it is her doing standup. But that is a good thing, in my opinion, since stand up is her strong point. That and the improv, real life stuff (make sure you watch the Making Of featurette). Her skits and songs almost uniformly suck. Like, "Sarah, you actually thought that was funny?" sucky. But her delivery of her act is uniquely her own. She adopts an amusing pseudo-conceited persona and obsessed with everything taboo. She also has a knack for attackting celebrities, which unfortunately she doesn't use here. (see: Independent Spirit Awards and MTV movie Awards). So while this is technically not a good film, if we're talkin ability to make me laugh, it's an easy 4 stars.
James B

If you don't love Sarah Silverman, then don't watch this! If you find her off-kilter comedy intriguing, then you should enjoy this blend of stand-up and musical numbers! I wasn't expecting the musicals, but was pleasantly surprised by them!
Sunil J

Funny but the musical numbers are very hit and miss. More jokes, less music.
Doctor S

Uncomfortable laughs aplenty from the reigining royalty of provocative humor. Part of her unique performance is that you assume she cannot mean any the bigoted things she says, yet there is a tiny molecule in your brain that still holds doubt. She retells what is perhaps both her most… More
Uncomfortable laughs aplenty from the reigining royalty of provocative humor. Part of her unique performance is that you assume she cannot mean any the bigoted things she says, yet there is a tiny molecule in your brain that still holds doubt. She retells what is perhaps both her most (in)famous and funniest joke: "I was raped by my doctor, which is so bittersweet for a Jewish girl."
Sarah P

Very funny and entertaining take on a film featuring stand-up comedy.
Nate H

Not bad, although she really doesn't do much more than play her horrible-person character. Still, the jokes hit a lot and she's sort of compelling to watch just because you wouldn't expect such an act from a moderately attractive Jewish girl. The segments that… More
Not bad, although she really doesn't do much more than play her horrible-person character. Still, the jokes hit a lot and she's sort of compelling to watch just because you wouldn't expect such an act from a moderately attractive Jewish girl. The segments that weren't stand-up were kind of lame, though.