SARAH SILVERMAN: JESUS IS MAGIC

Watching Liam Lynch's film featuring comedienne Sarah Silverman just as the tributes poured in for the late Richard Pryor, I couldn't help but note: It takes more than dirty talk and shock-value button-pushing to transcend funny into insightful. The film combines a standup performance by Silverman with a handful of musical skits. Her shtick is that she's a nice, pretty Jewish girl who casually drops outrageous quips about such taboos as Sept. 11, rape and racial epithets. The occasional joke will make you gasp and guffaw simultaneously, but I found that much of Silverman's routine was calculated to offend without breaking any new comic ground (i.e., telling old folks they'll soon be dead) and that it simply scratched the surface of tough issues such as racial stereotypes. At mere 74 minutes, though, you wouldn't have long to wait until her genius bit of harmony singing at the very end. Squirrel Hill (AH)