Lewis Black's Root Of All Evil

One of the key ingredients to Lewis Black’s stage persona is his apparent sincerity. Enumerating the political and societal movements that annoy him in his stand-up shows, Black begins by spitting out his opinions slowly through clenched teeth, as if struggling to hold back his rage. As the show progresses, Black gradually loses control and his rants climax with loud, frustrated yelling. Yes, it’s a calculated persona but Black controls it so deftly that it feels spontaneous — there is no doubt in the audience’s mind that Black is legitimately pissed off. Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil, his recent TV vehicle for Comedy Central, drains all sincerity from Black’s persona. Cast as a "judge” who preside over trials for questionable cultural trends (YouTube vs. Porn; American Idol vs. High School; Kim Jong-Il vs. Tila Tequila, etc.), Black is saddled with groan-worthy one-liners that would have seemed mouldy at a Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, which Black delivers in his trademarked angry tone. Within the context of this heavily scripted show, Black’s angry raving feels stiff and artificial. The rotating panel of defendants (including Patton Oswalt, Greg Giraldo and Andrew Daly) fire lazy jokes at their easy targets. Hey, did you know that Donald Trump has bad hair? Or that Oprah is self-absorbed? Paramount’s two-disc DVD set collects the first season’s eight episodes, along with some extras, including faux interviews with Black, which are even lamer than the show. Root of All Evil is disposable fluff that is passable if you happen to catch part of it on TV but there’s no reason to add this collection to your shelf. If you’re a Lewis Black fan, skip this lazy effort and listen to Rules of Enragement again instead.