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Bill Maher - New Rules - New Rules (2003)
Front Cover Actor Back Cover
Paul F. Tompkins
Bill Maher
Movie Details
Director Keith Truesdell; Hal Grant
Producer Bill Maher; Brad Grey
Writer Bill Maher; Chris Kelly
Studio HBO / Rysher Ent.
Language English
Audience Rating NR (Not Rated)
Running Time 45 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
Bill Maher's New Rules plays like a "greatest hits" compilation that you don't want to end. Compiled from the most popular segment of the HBO original series Real Time with Bill Maher, it's a fitting showcase for Maher's take-no-prisoners approach to political humor, in which the veteran comedian/pundit invents "new rules" in response to the insanity of current events, celebrity trivia, and the nonsensical irritants that pop up in the media on a regular basis. In collaboration with his gifted writing team, Maher delivers a constant barrage of hilarious yet eminently sensible solutions to the foibles of modern society, from common sense ("no more cell phones in movie theaters!") to harmlessly risqué ("lap dancing is a First Amendment right"), appropriately sarcastic ("the end of Friends is not a national tragedy!"), and just plain clever ("whenever they award an Oscar®, they should take one back"). Maher's flawless delivery of these "new rules" (culled from the first three seasons of Real Time) results in a steady flow of laugh-out-loud observations and punch lines, like this one about the same-sex marriage controversy: "All marriages are same-sex marriages--you go to bed every night, and it's the same sex!" And when he's not making funny suggestions about the effects of global warming ("all hurricane names should be scary!"), Maher delivers scathing editorials (mostly aimed at the Bush administration) and performs in comedic sketches like the "Accu-Terror Forecast" or "Ken Burns' Vietnam," spoofing the Civil War documentary style with a Bush-bashing segment called "A National Guardsman's Letter to Home," in which Maher (as Bush) reads a letter to his parents about the "hardships" of Vietnam-era service... in Alabama. Although the main feature runs a mere 45 minutes, there's an additional 28 minutes of material in the bonus features, including several "new rules Extras" and four hilarious "editorials" including Maher's demand for a presidential recall election! Some of Maher's issue-related jokes will grow dated as their timely relevance fades, but New Rules provides a brilliantly comedic appraisal of the early 21st century, from a smart, incisive comedian who'll boldly go where most comics fear to tread. --Jeff Shannon
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 853
Collection Status In Collection
Links Amazon US
Amazon CA
DVD Empire
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio Standard 1.33:1 Color
Layers Single Side, Single Layer
UPC (Barcode) 026359331527
Release Date 7/11/2006
Packaging Keep Case
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo [CC]
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Extra Features
Features Not Specified