Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

I am (of course) a fan of Ellen's talk show and have seen her original sitcom once or twice as well as several of her hosting duties but I had never really seen her do her stand-up. If you too are a fan of hers then you know exactly what you're in for because with Ellen...what you see is truly what you get. Her incredibly unique talent for pointing out the obvious, using biting sarcasm, and an awkward sort of uncomfortability in certain situations makes us laugh at ourselves and at her. One thing Ellen has never been is a "shock" comedienne and it simply isn't necessary for her and wouldn't look right on her. That's why I was a little disappointed that she felt the need to throw in literally a sparse amount of curse words. I'm not a prude, language doesn't bother me in the least but I like when entertainment avoids it so that everyone can appreciate it. She uses it so little that it just would have been better without it. The very first thing she addresses is her "coming out" and does so in an emotionally charged and touching way that makes you smile like almost everything she does.I have never seen anyone who is just so inherently likable. She has such incredible chemistry and is so down to earth. Her style and her comedy and the way she speaks to people is simply a God given gift and you can see all that come out on stage. I don't find her uproariously funny necessarily, I didn't have tears streaming down my cheeks but she is just so great to watch. One of the best things about this video is at the end during the credits when we see audience members addressing her. It is sweet and touching and proves how instrumental she is in making people smile. She is a brilliant comedienne and this is a great special to check out. If you're not a fan of her show then watch her stand-up and you'll have to appreciate her talent and her ability to make people laugh. Not only that but I think she is one of the few professional comedians who is actually unique in her style. 8/10

Ellen Degeneres: The New Beginning is the comedy special the comedian/future talk show host did a few months after coming out as a lesbian and opening herself to lethal criticism. If you can't recall the headlines she spawned and responses she garnered from her audacious movie, she proudly does a wordless, musical reenactment of one of the most important moments in her life. In addition, she goes into detail about how insects and other creatures have relationships akin to the ones humans have, the depression the person on the other end of the shampoo hotline must have, and more in the special. Degeneres is hilariously inspired because of the way she analyzes things in life that would likely go unnoticed by a large majority of people. Her ability to make humor and a sustainable monologue on something so ridiculous is precisely her strongest talent. It must also be said that the ending of the special touches a sentimental, emotional note that few comedy specials even come close to reaching.Starring: Ellen Degeneres. Directed by: Joel Gallen.

I know I'm probably gonna get a lot of negative votes on this comment, but this was honestly one of the least enjoyable stand-up routines I've ever seen...and I've seen many! So on to my personal reason why I was barely able to watch this till the end:Ellen to me is like a person in a wheelchair who everybody feels sorry for. Because she got treated badly after she "came out" there's now almost this unwritten obligation and sense of right to applaud to everything she says and does. It's pathetic! I condemn the spiteful reactions towards her coming out & everything, but empathy stops at a certain point. What's happened in Ellen's case is that now her loving and devoted fans are mostly people who've been hurt themselves. So they gobble her every word as if it came from high above...Ellen is to her fans what the AMWAY director is to his devoted fanatical ant workers.The most she made me was smile on a couple of occasions, but the crowd seemed to want to eat her up. Everything was to-die hysterical to them and I couldn't fathom it. Her material wasn't really bad, but her delivery and timing were painful to watch. She was waaaaay too predictable and what's even worse, she went for the cheapest laughs: "God...is a She" (and the mostly female crowd bursts into applause)Somewhere towards the end she even steals stuff from other comedians, but by that time I had already begun writing this woeful comment. Why I bothered to watch this till the end I honestly don't know. Maybe it was the empathy in me, trying to want to approve of this woman's comedic skills. She has none!

Ellen Degeneres is one of my fave actresses and I admire her honesty and her ability to babble to an audience for over an hour without stopping! I live in England and you can only get this on video here, I watched it with 4 of my friends (all aged 16) and only me and one of my male friends enjoyed it. No-one else quite understood Ellen's quirks and rambling habits. Still, I give this one an 8 or 9. Nice work Ellen, keep it up. :)