DVD Review : Penn & Teller's Bullshit! Showtime series

6/24/2004

Bullshit: I'm generally not a huge Penn & Teller fan. Not that I don't like them or get a kick out of them or anything like that, they're just not something that I'd choose to watch over, say, Die Hard. That said, I have seen two of their stage shows (on TV), and I get that their show sort of succeeds in the humor of them debunking their own magic, and I think that's a pretty intelligent manner in which to engage any audience, so I've got mad respect for them, even if I'm more likely to watch John McClane battle terrorists for the hundredth time.

So the other day, a workmate of mine loaned me her Netflix of P&T's Showtime series, "Bullshit!" (or, as it's printed on the family-friendly Netflix's DVD sleeves, "Bullsh*t!") She said it was really good and I didn't have anything planned for that night, so I took it home and fired it up. This show is brilliant! Brilliant on so many levels that I don't even know where to start. OK, so as I said, P&T's stage shows are successful on the merit of them debunking their own magic, and with that in mind, this show's premise is that it debunks the never ending fucking stream of hustles which permeate our lives. Some topics included are : psychics, 'natural' penis enlargement, feng shui, and, my personal favorite, creationism. On the first disc (it's a 3-disc series), Penn states that "...you'll hear more cursing than you're accustomed to from us. This is because if we say that someone is a 'fraud,' they can sue us. But if we call them a 'cocksucker' or an 'asshole,' there ain't a thing they can do about it." I can't say it enough -- BRILLIANT. I've now seen two discs of this collection and I will be watching all of them eventually.

So let me use the topic of psychics (disc 1) to elaborate on how the hustles get smashed, as I think it's the most well-rounded approach. They send two people to two different psychics, and set up a third person AS a psychic. Their psychic is an expert 'cold-reader,' which is a person who is able to [a] read body language and [b] twist conversation to pull forth the answers that the readee is after. Make sense? OK. So the two people they sent to the two different psychics (yes, one was John Edwards of 'Crossing Over' fame) each found the same thing -- while in the waiting room, the psychic (heretofore known as 'the cold-reader') comes in and engages the group in seemingly friendly conversation. This conversation, of course, is geared to reveal to the cold-reader the needs/wants of the readees (I'm still not sure that's even a word), so that when they reach the real group setting (or TV studio), this cold-reader is already privy to enough information to be able to convince the readees that they are in contact with whatever or whoever they're there to reach! It's fucking insane! In one instance, the cold-reader actually asks the plant point blank, "Who are you here to get in contact with?" The answer was "My mother." Well, guess who the cold-reader reaches later. And in the instance of the P&T cold-reader who's playing the part of psychic, the readee is able to be convinced IN NEARLY EVERY INSTANCE that the cold-reader is actually talking to the spirit world. And all he's doing is guiding the conversation and reading body language. This bit is punctuated with some venomous remarks by Penn, who concedes that (I'm paraphrasing here), "...it's fucking sickening to me that anyone would toy with the memory of someone's lost relative in order to make a buck." I couldn't agree more, Penn. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't mind crushing into powder with a rusty vice-grip each individual tooth in John Edwards' head as payment for his vile career choice.

In between bits, P&T appear on a stark white set, surrounded by extras or props appropriate to the current bit, and penn speaks while teller does something funny. It helps keep the humor level up, allows them to bust a couple magic tricks, or just be sarcastic. It's a nice break, actually, cause sometimes you find yourself getting worked up about the current topic. Not always, mind you, it is a comedy. For instance, in the "Sex, Sex, Sex" bit (disc 2), which includes everything from pheromone colognes to natural penis enlargement, they are seen surrounded by several very attractive naked people. (Pay special attention to the black dude. He seems ... um ... excited at one point.)

In the penis enlargement bit, three guys were sent to a urologist to have their dicks measured clinically. Then, they were each given a different technique to practice for three weeks. One was a pump, one was a pill, and one seemed to be nothing more than jerking off, but you know, the 'scientific' way. (This was where I knew immediately that something was up. If jerking off stimulates any more growth than a hard-on, I'd have a fourteen-foot cock.) As you'd guess, none of the techniques worked, and the urologist later states that there is "...no way to increase the size of your penis. Period." Your penis period? Gross.

Don't think that this show is just Penn & Teller setting up groups of their own design and playing you into believing what they want you to believe -- leave that to George Bush or Michael Moore. These guys are collaborating with scientists from all walks (as in the penis enlargement and creationist bits), and they utilize twins often, so that in the instances of pheromone cologne vs. regular cologne and feng shui haircuts vs. barber haircuts (a fucking hysterical bit), even less potential for error exists. They present both sides, establish control groups to compensate for error, they switch the order in which they present options, they use hidden cameras on strangers, they plant their own people, and they even keep from you, the viewer, who the plant is until the end of most bits, so that you can't get a judgement cooked up before the reveal. They also seem to be really empassioned about the topics, coming down on psychics for playing around with people's emotions, coming down on creationists for "...willingly ignoring science...", and so on.

If I may wax political for a minute (??), especially in today's day and age, when America's fearless leader is trying to jam his god down our collective throats, along with a string of other lies which can't be stomached for the poison they're laced with, I think it is our responsibility to stay on top of ALL the lies and (to quote Al Franken), "...the lying liars who tell them." So please, please, please watch this and continue to fight middle America's wholesale consumption of BULLSHIT.

9 clanks. (I use feng shui, so I couldn't give it 10.)

So says IronLung!



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