Cedric the Entertainer: Taking You Higher

Cedric really is an entertainer, which he proves beyond any doubt in this HBO special, a rib-tickling one-man show peppered with snappy song-and-dance routines. Cedric's material is topical and he's not afraid to take on society's sacred cows, but the comic successfully avoids the anger and mean-spiritedness of all too many of his contemporaries. A plainspoken guy, Cedric's riffs and occasionally barbed observations often draw much of their comic firepower from simple common sense. In this fast-moving show, Cedric comments on everything from TV and rap music to Osama bin Laden and the war in Afghanistan, with takes on sports, fad diets, gas prices, gay marriage, church socials, and fundraisers that reflect keen awareness of contemporary life, and a large percentage of his jokes hit the bulls-eye. What's more, Cedric has every great performer's knack of making what he does seem effortless. DVD extras include an interview with the comic. Recommended. Aud: P. (E. Hulse)