Stand up comedy gets full-length film
Vince Vaughn and his comedic gang take on the Wild West on screen
Posted on February 11, 2008
It’s not often you see stand-up comedy show movies anymore. Mostly because they don’t work, the attraction of stand-up comedy is to be there live. Movies of course can’t deliver that same live feeling so most turn out to be boring and a waste of two hours. However, Vince Vaughn’s new take on the stand-up comedy movie does work because you get more than just a stage show.
With Vince Vaughn (“Wedding Crashers”) acting as chaperone and front man, four young up-and-coming stand-up comedians travel with him across the country. They do 30 shows in 30 days in 30 cities that span from Hollywood all the way to Atlanta. Each offers a different style of comedy. They deliver a show like none other with every stop they make.
In “Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights–Hollywood to the Heartland” the audience is introduced to four new comedians: Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst, John Caparulo and Sebastian Maniscalco make up the foursome that headline the comedy tour. Although each one is funny in his own way, none compare to Vaughn in the movie. The movie isn’t really about Vaughn as much as it is about the other four. But when he takes the stage you can’t help but get excited.
Although the stand-up parts are funny, they aren’t the main focus of the film. Most of the footage and humor comes from the bus trips and the backstage shenanigans. The audience get to see Vaughn make local radio interviews from his cell phone while he’s in bed on the bus. You get to meet most of the families of the comedians. You get to see people coming together to pull off a show even when the odds are against them. It’s a movie about stand-up comedians, not a stand-up comedian movie.
Another aspect of the movie that makes it strong is that every show they do is new and fresh. Special appearances from Justin Long (“Dodgeball”), Jon Favreau (“Swingers”), Keir O’Donnell (“Wedding Crashers”) and even country-star-turned-actor Dwight Yoakam (“Crank”) ensure that something outrageous was happening each show.
