4 Stars:
Andy Kindler is bitter. And although his new comedy DVD is titled, “I Wish I Was Bitter,” I’m here to tell you that he IS bitter. Seriously. And that’s OK. Because this is what the comedian and actor planned all along.
The comedian, best known for his role on “Everybody Loves Raymond” and his cameos on Letterman, is self-deprecating and negative. Boy is he negative. But as I said before, that’s OK. That’s what makes him funny. I guess you could say, “I like my Kindler pessimistic.” Always looking at the glass half-empty, Kindler knows how to make that bottom half of the glass hilarious.
From his bits on SNL actors overdosing on drugs to make the skits funny, to texting, in which Kindler says, “What is texting? Are you tired of talking on the phone and wanting to slow down the process?” the veteran comedian and actor hit on all cylinders. Sure those cylinders touched on topics like NBC’s explanation of the sitcom “Whoopi,” Kindler still enjoying stand-up but at any given moment he could kill himself and the audience, and telling his landlord that $40 dollars is all he earned telling jokes. But let me say this, Kindler is an amazing comedian. You just have to get him.
Trying to give his landlord a gift card to Borders and arguing about going on the road to promote his act and making his material more mainstream, Kindler goes on to say that he likes to keep a safe distance from his material. Just in case it doesn’t work, he can say, “Who wrote this shit?”
The 45 minute long “I Wish I Was Bitter,” DVD examines Kindler’s belief that the roles he gets cast in are the ones where ‘if you need someone who looks uncomfortable, then I’m your guy.’ From the crowd reaction, it wasn’t the comedian who looked uncomfortable; rather it was the audience.
The special was taped in 2003, and even though this happened more than five years ago, the material is still timely. Save for some jokes about W. Bush being the worst president in the history and Hussein being caught by Kindler himself had it not been pilot season, the comedian takes one negative after another negative and turns it into something funny. After all, two negatives equal a positive. And that’s what Kindler’s comedy special is – something positive.
Check out the interview Zoiks! Online did with Andy here:
http://www.zoiksonline.com/2009/03/everybody-loves-raymonds-andy-kindler.html
Check out Andy’s website here:
http://www.andykindler.com
BYLINE:
Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com.
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