When it comes to reviewing the DVD of a comedian’s act, it’s hard for anyone to take what I say and make an accurate judgment. Comedians are all an acquired taste and you have to listen to their material in order to get a proper call on whether you like them or not. Sometimes a comedian is really dirty or filthy and you’ll know if that sort of thing is your cup of tea. Most of those comedians end up trying way too hard to be dirty thinking it will give them some then some type of credibility (Bob Saget). But then there are those comedians that don’t curse at all and wouldn’t dare touch a taboo subject yet their comedy suffers because it’s just not that funny (Sinbad). Then there are those like Jim Gaffigan who walk the line for both clean and dirty, but ends up just being really odd. And odd = funny as hell.
Jim Gaffigan may best be known for his incredibly accurate portrayal of how the staff meeting went when Hot Pockets were created. “HOOOTTT POOCCKKEEETTT!” Now he’s made his way into multiple films, is a star on the TBS sitcom My Boys, and has had a number of CDs released. His comedy is often rather clean while still being hilarious because he’s not afraid to touch on any subject and make fun of anyone the world may house. Gaffigan knows that no matter what topic he touches on, it is his delivery that really brings it to its funniest level. Not only are you going to get Gaffigan dishing out his material, but he’ll also talk back to himself in this whispering voice that speaks against everything he says.
I know it sounds strange and it is, but it’s funny.
King Baby is a great special that shows him at his best even though now and then fans may recognize a joke or two, but not often. Here he touches on bean bag chairs, bowling, escalators, reading, and of course food. Gaffigan is a comedian that likes to take moments from everyday life that most people wouldn’t find humor in but they do after he describes them in detail to everyone. I never quite looked at an escalator as an exciting ride while the stationary stairs next to it are only for drunken people, but he made a damn fine point of that. Other little things like focusing on how lazy we all are just kind of makes me look at myself and realize he is right. It’s so true though because you all know that you have had something to throw away, looked at the garbage can without a bag in it, and decided to wait until later to throw it away so someone else could put a bag in it. So pathetic…yet so true.
The event is shown in 1.78:1 Widescreen format and it looks good for being what it is. I mean it’s a comedy event so it’s not like we really should care much how good it looks, but the image is crisp and clear so nothing should bug you.
The event is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound which is much more than I would have expected for a comedy special. All of Gaffigan’s material and dialogue is heard clearly through the front center speaker while music and laughter surround you through the other speakers.
Pale Force – Three episodes of the short segmented cartoon that Gaffigan did for Conan O’Brien’s “Late Night” and they are damn funny. I could watch these all day because they are really that good. (14:02)
Our Massive Planet – Here are four episodes of an internet show Gaffigan had done which is just kind of strange. It’s humorous at times but each episode is far too short to really even get going. Nature footage is shown as fake scientific narration from Gaffigan is heard over it. Alright. (7:25)
Never-Aired British Interview – Simple enough, an interview with the comedian that is quite funny. (6:37)
XM/Sirius Interview – Another interview with Gaffigan in which he not only does some of his material, but also talks more about his personal life. It’s a really light-hearted interview that gives a good look at the comedian and sort of allows him to be himself without always having to go into his act. (26:33)
Atlanta: Meet And Greet On Demand – This feature is a promotional piece for Comedy Central’s On Demand service and it shows him doing some of his act along with meeting fans with his opening act, Rich Brooks. The funniest part of this feature is his interaction with the fans and the conversations they have. (9:49)
The Sexy Tour – Promotional pieces for one of his older tours. (11:20)
The Beyond The Pale Tour – Promotional pieces for another tour of Gaffigan’s. It was Gaffigan’s “Beyond The Pale” CD that first introduced me to him and made me truly appreciate how funny he really is. (10:17)
My sense of humor is incredibly strange because it ranges from dirty to clean to morbid to just plain odd. I think that is why I find Jim Gaffigan so funny and he never fails to make me laugh. If there was an easier way to describe his humor to get you to fully understand it, I would; but you honestly just need to pick up this DVD or one of his older CDs and just listen to him for an hour. The guy has great delivery and the little whispering voice (his conscience) that speaks against him adds another level entirely to his act and makes you see both sides of his points. Here is a seventy-minute set that never dies off or fades for a little while but continues to be funny throughout. Strangely there are a lot of special features for a comedy special when usually there isn’t even a few trailers for other specials on their DVDs. More Gaffigan is good to me and he’s the King, Baby!
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Comedy Central presents Jim Gaffigan: King Baby. Starring: Jim Gaffigan. Running time: 72 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: March 31, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
