- Photos:
-
- Running time:
- 100 minutes
- Rated:
- R
- Cast:
- Vince Vaughn -
- Ahmed Ahmed -
- John Caparulo -
- Bret Ernst -
- Sebastian Maniscalco -
- Director:
- Ari Sandel
- Genre:
- Comedy, Documentary
- Official Movie Web Site:
- http://www.wildwestcomedy.com/
- Overall User Rating:
-
(1 rating)
In September 2005, Vince Vaughn escorted four friends/run-of-the-mill comics (John Caparulo, Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco) around the country to play 30 cities in 30 nights. The movie features a lot of performances, plus occasional interviews with the comics and their families discussing their careers and how they are or aren't different on stage versus off.
Big question: Is this documentary intended to make us laugh or advance the careers of Vaughn's pals?
Skip it: With little footage of late-night antics, backstage preparation or even bus ride bonding, director Ari Sandel (making his feature debut) doesn't capture enough of the tour's truly revealing moments. The periodic psychology of comics has its moments—surprise, surprise, they're attention seekers looking for approval—but "Wild West Comedy Show" is mostly mediocre sets by comics covering not-so-revolutionary material.
Catch it: If you, like Maniscalco, also dry-clean your socks and underwear. Good to know some comics don't let their non-existent cash flow get in the way of ultra-fresh boxers.
Bottom line: Occasionally the comics strike gold—Ernst has a funny bit about why techno is only tolerable if you're on ecstasy—but the "Last Comic Standing" finalists are typically better than these guys. The movie attempts to shed light on the hardships of being a comedian but does more to confirm that jokes that aren't terribly funny in person are even less so on the big screen.
Bonus: Justin Long ("Strange Wilderness") appears occasionally and does a pretty decent impression of Vaughn in "Swingers," which still isn't as funny as Vaughn and his friend/executive producer Peter Billingsley (yep, Ralphie in "A Christmas Story") recreating the hilarious steroid-related after school special on which they met. Maybe if the message wasn't so funny Major League Baseball wouldn't be in this mess!
What do you think of this "Comedy Show"? Email me: mpais@tribune.com
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