Saturday, July 2, 2011

Blue Collar Comedy Tour (DVD) Review

Among all the comedies available today, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour ranks number one in the "must see" category. Few comedians can find an audience among a broad range of demographic groups, and with varying tastes among individuals, it's quite difficult to find universally entertaining people. But Blue Collar Comedy Tour showcases four stand-up comics of such ability. The stand-up routines are filmed in Phoenix with intermittent features on the exploits of each of the men as they travel the country on their popular comedy tour. Opening up with all four men fishing in a lake, amazingly even the conversations between these men are hilarious and entertaining. What then could we expect when they take the stage? Only the best of modern redneck, working man comedy…

One of the rising stars of stand-up, Ron White brandishes his liquor and tobacco drenched persona along with a loveable sarcasm to produce one of the better comic routines of the decade. White chronicles his 9-minute plane ride to Phoenix which almost ended in tragedy when the plane was forced to turn around in mid-flight due to equipment trouble. But the event didn't phase the alcohol-induced outlook of White who advises the passenger next to him (a man who has something to live for, unlike White) that if one engine goes out, the other will take them right to the scene of the crash. And to top it off, they'll beat the paramedics by thirty minutes…

White's act is well followed by Larry The Cable Guy, a redneck's redneck who lives by the catchphrase "Get 'r done!" Speaking in a redneck dialect that borders on another language, Larry The Cable Guy is a barrel of laughs for any American who loves apple pie. Providing unique insight into the world at large, his audience is presented with the great conundrum of the dog dish water purifier (among other things). Why should he buy a water purifier for an animal that eats its own crap? If you're unfamiliar with this guy's routine, you need to pick up a copy of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD just for him alone (or for that matter - any of these comics merit a full-length DVD by themselves).

Beginning the second half of the movie is Bill Engvall, a comic who takes a more well-spoken, family man approach to his routine. I first saw Bill on The Tonight Show when I was ten years old. He delivered the best stand-up routine I've ever seen, and I still remember much of it word-for-word to this day… Central to the routine was his trademark tagline "Here's your sign" (referring to a "stupid sign" handed out to people who make dumb remarks). Just like his colleague Jeff Foxworthy, Engvall has managed to keep that tagline not only going, but while inventing a hilarious treasure trove of new material. This guy is just plain funny…

Rounding out the final one-man routine is Jeff Foxworthy, perhaps the most famous of the crowd due to his widely promoted "you might be a redneck if…" jokes. Foxworthy starts off with a standard routine that's really funny (this part of his career has been widely overlooked), but then he naturally moves into the part of the routine that people love to hear - the redneck jokes. My favorite of the whole Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD is his line "If a beaver bites off your nipple, you might be a redneck". Based on a true story, you simply have to watch Blue Collar Comedy Tour in order to understand just how hilarious that one is…

But the funniest part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD is when all the comics are finished with their individual routines and they gather together on stage to tell personal stories to the audience. Each story keeps the belly laughs rolling, and each comic has his moments, but Ron White steals this part of the show with his "tater salad" story. Recounting the story of his recent drunk in public arrest (he was actually drunk in the bar - they threw him into public), White tells the tale of his rise from a small town in Texas to a life replete with criminal aliases such "tater salad" and his fathering of a child named "tater tot". You just have to it to really enjoy it!

With a host of talented funnymen, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD is grade-A entertainment. Certain to be an enduring classic for years to come, this is one comedy film you don't want to miss…

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