Nick Swardson: Seriously, Who Farted? – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

Nick-Swardson_DVD

A couple of the websites I frequent (ICHC, Failblog) run banner ads for T-Shirt companies quite often. One of the older ads featured a shirt that said “I’m kind of a big deal.” This DVD feels like Nick is telling everyone that he’s kind of a big deal.

Swardson started out humbly enough in Minnesota and has been on a big upswing in popularity for the last few years, starting with a previous Comedy Central special. It was one of the half hour variety that they churn out about 100 a year of, but Nick’s was special in that it got him noticed and really propelled him forward. It didn’t hurt that his bit role in Reno: 911 turned into a regular role and show itself became a big hit.

Even with the success of the show, Nick was able to stay relatively obscure, then came the cult hit Grandma’s Boy and Nick from Minnesota was no longer someone who could walk around aimlessly without being noticed. This special hits on both sides of his career so far, the build up and post Grandma’s Boy.

He talks about drinking quite a bit, as it’s one of his favorite things to do. As all drinking jokes end, he winds up talking about a trip to Vegas when he lost 300 dollars to a monkey. Just hearing that set up, you probably think there is a huge great joke in there and you’ll be laughing ’til your sides hurt. But you’d be wrong, the joke is humorous, barely, but doesn’t get the LOL moment. It’s a problem that plagues the entire special. Funny concepts that lose something in translation.

Some of it could be “star” quality jokes. Like the monkey joke, the story is just not going to happen to a regular person, so the audience can’t relate to it and they don’t find it as funny. Basically it works out to the famous “You had to be there” story.

That’s not an indictment of the entire special though. When he does venture into the land of the normal Joe, he still has funny stories that people can relate to. Ninja’s at a high school reunion, Taco Bell application, these are things people might not have gone through, but they can see where he’s coming from in the story and can relate to it better and laugh harder.

In tune with previous specials he delves into the minds of old people to come up with fun things he wants to do when he gets older. I don’t know exactly where his mind sits, but when he delves into funny things he wants to do is where the funniest stuff comes out of his mouth. The grandpa birthday present is a good joke. He even turns the seriously sad act of suicide into a humorous event. It’s actually where the title of the special came from.

Nick Swardson: Seriously, Who Farted? is presented in Widescreen format and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.
No major issues, it looks and sounds fine. There are a couple little editing glitches with the sound but other than that it’s fine.

Ok, stop with the extra’s on comedy specials already…

A faux movie trailer for a movie called “28 Drinks Later” where everyone walks around like drunken zombies. I would watch that movie.

A faux interview title “Nick Swardson: Timeless Comedian” which goes through Nick’s start in comedy back in the 1920s.

A Very Terry Christmas is one of those terrible holiday CD sale commercials. Done horribly, Reno: 911 has shown that Terry can actually sing so they probably should have had Terry singing better than this.

Opening Act: Beardo and Dirt Nasty. I just got a headache thinking about this.

Nick Swardson is now famous and hopefully he didn’t blow all his Grandma’s Boy earnings in one place because this special isn’t bringing in much. Some is good, some is terrible, most of it is nothing. Catch it on Comedy Central but don’t bother with it in the store.


Paramount Pictures Presents Nick Swardson: Seriously, Who Farted?. Starring Nick Swardson. Written by Nick Swardson. Running time: 59 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: October 13th, 2009. Available at Amazon.com.