Whitney Cummings: Money Shot

Comedy Central’s highly rated celebrity roasts have become nice springboard launching pads for comedians, and on the recent roast special for Donald Trump, comedienne Whitney Cummings did a fairly good job of holding her own, getting in digs at the cartoonishly-haired blowhard while also lacerating her colleagues on the dais. On her first DVD concert special, Whitney Cummings: Money Shot, the 28-year-old (who looks a lot older, honestly… perhaps because of Botox?) returns to her native Washington, D.C. for a set that chiefly explores the differences between men and women, and how they interact and act in relationships.

With her gangly limbs and goofus posture standing in contrast to her feminine persona, Cummings delivers a mix of observational and gender comedy that’s two parts caustic for every one part sugar. Bemoaning the seemingly increased necessity of complex bedroom antics (“My vagina doesn’t do tricks”), she works body issues for laughs, decrying her lack of a stripper’s body by positing that her engaging in any sexual aerobics is likely to elicit the question, “What is that European boy doing on a jungle gym?” Cummings also has a lot to say about testicles, and in particular how unattractive they are.

Cummings also makes fun of guys’ obsession with sports, pubic shaving, pornography, and what she asserts is her own struggle with avoiding farting around guys. The material itself isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but instead derives a lot of its humorous punch from the forcefulness of Cummings’ personality and go-go motor, as well as the fact that she can spin multiple jokes off of a single theme or observation, examining it from different perspectives that help counterbalance much of the sting of her blue humor.

Housed in a regular plastic Amaray case, Whitney Cummings: Money Shot comes to DVD presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a Dolby digital 2.0 stereo audio track, divided into 15 chapters via a motion menu screen. There are unfortunately no supplemental features, so the title’s spare, 48-minute running time makes it far more worthy of a quick rental than outright purchase. Nevertheless, to buy the DVD via Amazon, click here. B (Movie) C- (Disc)