Whites, blacks, men, women, gays, straights: no one escapes the razor wit of producer-star Keenen Ivory Wayans' sketch comedy show. Groundbreaking not just for its interracial cast but for its truly integrated attitude, the 26 second season episodes (1990-91) collected here are packed with incisive, hilarious social commentary and pop-cultural satire built around outrageous, now-classic characters: Homey the Clown, The Head Detective, the deliciously politically incorrect Men on Film. They've all aged well, partly due to the smart approach that Wayans and his team--including brother Damon, sister Kim, David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson, and Jim Carrey--took in sending up hypocrisy and deconstructing stereotypes, while never descending into cruelty (Damon Wayans' palsied superhero Handi-Man, for instance, has a genuine sweetness). And all of the characters--including the one that is arguably Carrey's funniest, the supremely silly Fire Marshal Bill--have soul. The only odd oversight in this terrific package, which includes commentary on selected sketches and a pair of featurettes, is the lack of chapter stops within episodes to allow the viewer to jump from sketch to sketch. Highly recommended. (M. Johanson)
In Living Color: Season Two
Fox, 4 discs, 587 min., not rated, DVD: $49.98 Volume 20, Issue 1
In Living Color: Season Two
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