Name: Aisha Tyler Is Lit: Live at the Fillmore
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Released: 2009-02-21
Duration: 1 h 25 min
Rating: 6.3
Cast: Aisha Tyler

Doesn't ever kill it but has plenty of good material and is a roundly good show

I know Aisha Tyler from 24, her historic turn as "first black person ever" on the show Friends and the many "so-so" films that she has done but I didn't realise that she was a comedian until recently. I managed to cop this on DVD region 1 because I was curious to see what she could do. Things looked good from the very start as the film opens with a very clever and funny musical bit that is essentially about Aisha having no ass to speak of (none). This funny self-depreciation is the foundation for the rest of the show as it is the thread that runs through almost all of the material – Aisha as a geek, Aisha talking like a white person, Aisha being bad with drink and so on.

She covers a lot of ground in the show (mostly down to how quickly she speaks) and one cannot fault her for her energy levels while on stage but it does at times grate. At her best she is laying out these images and stories in a way that is totally her and fits with the geeky character that she presents herself as. On top of this she does have a level of crudity that she can get away with and indeed helps bring some good laughs. However she can (and does) go too far at times and ends up overacting on stage really badly. Some of these are genuinely funny and are well placed but too often they are just silly because she is overdoing a joke that is not funny enough to cope with it. The "waxing cauldron" is one example where her overacting is taken a little further than it can stand.

Mostly though I enjoyed her having her own voice. She is crude but she never comes over like she is trying to make herself the "black/female" version of somebody. Of course she will get these comparisons but I enjoyed her having her own voice and material. I guess she will always between the "geeky white black woman" material and "crude, shouting material" but the former worked better for me than the latter. This is not perfect by any means and it doesn't deserve to be mentioned alongside the "great" stand-up shows but it is certainly enjoyable and funny without totally killing it. More than good enough for me to look out for more of this from Tyler.

Stand-up comedy is a form of comedic performance in which a comedian stands on stage and delivers a series of humorous monologues, anecdotes, jokes, and observational humor to entertain an audience. The comedian typically speaks directly to the audience, often addressing a wide range of topics including everyday life, personal experiences, social issues, and cultural observations.

John Mulaney in John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (2018)

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

Fresh from roles on 24, Balls of Fury, Bedtime Stories and her smash breakout on Friends, Aisha Tyler returns to her stand-up comedy roots with an incendiary performance that will make you laugh until you sweat.

Aisha Tyler Is Lit: Live at the Fillmore (2009)

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

The Fillmore - 1805 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, California, USA

Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, and Aisha Tyler in Whose Line Is It Anyway? (2013)

Caroline Morahan and Emmett Hughes in I Hope We Can Still Be Friends (2025)

Jennifer Garner in The Last Thing He Told Me (2023)

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer in Friends (1994)

Aisha Tyler Is Lit: Live at the Fillmore

Photos1

Cast1

User reviews3

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Box office

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed