Rosie O'Donnell: A Heartfelt Stand Up

Rosie O'Donnell: A Heartfelt Stand Up (2015) Director: Dan Chaykin Watched: 3/21/25 6/10 Stars

"Rosie gives a stand-up performance about hating her teens, welcoming her fifth baby, and dealing with major health scares in her family. She discusses issues we all face with her signature humor and candor, and she also sheds light on the topic of heart disease in women. She wants to bring awareness to women that it is their number-one killer. Her acronym HEPPP alerts women to the symptoms of heart attack. Hot, Exhausted, Pain, Pale, Puke. Rosie warns of the importance of using these symptoms as signs to call 911 immediately."

Formerly vexing Rosie O'Donnell was surprisingly real here. I.e., admitting that she was double standards hypocritical when it comes to her kids, thinking "slut" when it came to get daughter watching porn or being interested in sex, but ready to encourage when it came to her son. Starting the special by telling an anecdote about bringing her now 18 year old son to the Nyack, New York mall opening from which she is taping her first and so far only standup comedy show- the celebrity entertainment was not her at all, but Andrew the Aardvark- you could tell this was going to be different than the Rosie O'Donnell show and, most gratefully, The View!

This heartfelt stand up special- the title was unexpectedly accurate- was like seeing a softer side to big personality Rosie. I like this version much more. Kudos to adopting and raising 5 kids on her own after a lesbian divorce.

This is a very personal stand-up where Rosie reveals a lot about her recent life, including relationships, parenting, and illness. As she can be sometimes, Rosie is brash and even a bit cringeworthy in this special, with that unique blend of edgy yet hokey she's good at. There were some details about her kids I didn't need to hear!

But there are some really strong laughs to be had, and it feels good to hear her talk frankly about all the ups and downs she's gone through in life. You can tell that at this point she does not care about trying to please everyone. If you don't like Rosie, you will absolutely not like this special. But if you love Rosie through all her quirks, this will feel like a good chat with a funny friend.

A Heartfelt Standup is entertaining, with no boring moments, even though at one point Rosie O'Donnell talks about her heart attack what I don't really consider as funny. But she has a good way to bring her topics, with some subtle but effective humor. Her standup comedy mostly consist about her talking about her personal life and experiences, mostly about her kids but it's well brought and funny. I'm not sure Rosie O'Donnell has a high opinion of men, she's clearly a feminist and that's fine as there shouldn't be a difference between men and women. That said there are some feminists that just constantly bash on men without a valid reason and to me Rosie O'Donnell is just borderline that kind of feminist. Not that I'm bothered by it, as long as her show is funny it's good enough for me.

Loved it!

Female comics from the 1960s through 1990s are my faves!!

Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie, Whoopie Goldberg, Joy Behar, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Joan Rivers, etc. They all rule!!

And on a more serious note, Rosie shines a light on the warning signs of heart disease in women- some signs I didn't even know!

This is a great example of making the best of a bad situation; Rosie took her past hurt and made humor out of it in a delightful, educational way that helps people feel good, while potentially helping to save their lives.

I hear all the time that women aren't funny, or I see that most people are into male comics, but as far as I'm concerned, the women are comedy gold! I loved this!

Bonus points for opening this with "Ya Gotta Have Heart" from the 1958 movie musical "Damn Yankees" that I always think of as the unofficial Joan Jett birthday movie, as it was the film released closest to her birth and it's about her favorite thing other than rock n' roll- baseball!

Speaking of Joan, I just happened to watch this today, the very same day that I watched the first episode of the Amazon Prime "A Legue of their Own" TV series. Rosie starred in the 1990s movie version. Well, Joanie was supposed to be in that movie (though not as Rosie's character I don't think) and even attended baseball camp to brush up on her skills for the film, but alas, casting changed at the last minute due to a change in production team that had different ideas. However, I'm glad Rosie ultimately got to be in the movie. She can also be seen in a small role in the new show, and Joanie's music can be heard in the new show as-well, which kinda makes it all better. Recommended.

Watched this on HBO Free Trial -- after hitting the bottom of the barrel searching for good movies that i haven't seen on NetFlix, Hulu, Amazon, Showtime, Starz, etc.

Rosie is not only funny as a comedian, but she has a good sense of humor about some serious Real Life events. -- which is what you need to survive in this world.

(Thank you, Rosie).