Purely Joyful Movie!

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

In sharp contrast to most reviews here, the "Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now" disc that I rented was marginally funny at best. While Ellen's general style is right in the vein of good comedy, her observations in this performance just lack an edge... maybe an absurdity or exaggeration that makes all the difference between you or me talking about, say, airport security shenanigans and a professional comedian addressing the same subject. This was no funnier than discussing the same topics with regular people--a few good laughs, but that's about it. Oftentimes she'd make an observation and I would wait expectantly for the joke that puts it in hilarious perspective, only to find her moving along to the next lukewarm observation. Hopefully her other material is of better caliber. As a health warning, if you thought this DVD was truly hilarious, you may want to stay away from comics like Bill Hicks, Eddie Izzard, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Mitch Hedburg or countless others who might be funny enough to actually kill you.

It's become hip in many circles to say how unfunny Ellen Degeneres is, that she only gets attention because she's a lesbian, that if she was male and straight, no one would pay to see her stand-up act. I think that's flatly untrue. Ellen isn't a laugh a minute -- sometimes she drags out bits much too long -- but overall she is quite funny. She picks apart minutiae with sharp but never mean-spirited wit, and doesn't use curse words (well, that's not entirely true; I recall her using the s-word once in a previous televised stand up routine), and makes us all laugh at our own silliness.My favorite bits are "pickle juice in your eye," "We are so comfortable with that uncomfortable feeling," and "She tripped -- no, she's running. No, she tripped. YOU TRIPPED!"

This 1 hour special was simply hilarious. Ellen is great! She is definitely one of the best comedians I have seen in a long time. I am looking to buy this on DVD or tape now. The great thing is that you don't have to be a stand-up comedian fan to love this, you just love it! Thanks Ellen for making my gut hurt from laughing =]

I have been a fan of Ellen's since before Electricity! I am so incredibly glad that I got a chance to see Ellen perform this 'Here and Now' stand-up routine LIVE! I saw her at GW's Lisner Auditorium April 16, 2003 and oh my goodness was she hilarious! There was no way I was going to miss this HBO special. I was so worried that they would cut out a few of the jokes that I enjoyed from seeing her live, but they didn't! I was thrilled! Ellen is so gifted at everything that she does. She has a very high bar for what she does. I don't blame her one bit. You don't see many (As a matter of fact ANY) comics doing a whole routine with no cursing, foul language, political statements or anything that would attack another human being or racial slurs. That's why Ellen is the Queen of comedy.I really love Ellen's sense of humor, the way she looks at the world. Her timing is impeccable. She's incredibly gifted. She's a comedian, she knows the rhythm and so she can take the scene and give it the flow and the build and she's a pleasure to watch.I love her honesty, sincerity, generousity and most of all her personality. She's so down to earth. If you've ever met her or will ever meet her, you will see that in her. She's an amazing woman.Thank you Ellen for making my experience of seeing you LIVE IN THE FLESH :D an unforgettable night! You had me laughing hysterically!I had pleasure talking to you. Thank you for allowing me to speak to you. Thank you for the autograph and the hug. :D You are on awesome chick!Your HBO special rocked! I can't wait for your new talk show. Good luck with all of your dreams.