Playwright-performer Eric Bogosian's recent one-man show Wake Up and Smell the Coffee is a sporadically inspired satire for a divided and overly-sensitive America. Bogosian begins by calming the audience with gentle reassurances about the purpose of the production, only to slowly, comically segue into bitter, loathing observations about the futility of life. Bogosian assaults the Christian God for abandoning Jesus to a miserable fate, and then assumes a series of character identities, some of which work well (Satan), while others (a Hollywood producer) don't. While Bogosian's takes on greed, vanity, and spurious faith are hit and miss, they occasionally yield something that sounds like real insight. DVD extras include an interview with the star. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
(2004) 76 min. DVD: $26.95. Docurama (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 0-7670-6498-4. Volume 19, Issue 6
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: