Redneck Comedy Roundup 2 [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Many people would look at the cover of this DVD and expect a show featuring Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall with token appearances by other comedians. That's not what you get. Clips from "An Evening at the Improv" are what you get. Because of the age of the source, nothing here emanates from after 1996 which can lead to dated jokes, but overall, this disc isn't a total waste.

There are some bad moments. Jeff Foxworthy delivers some funny material provided you've never heard his albums or seen him live; the stuff that he tells here, he'd still be telling ten years later (at least). However, his laid-back style is more enjoyable than his later high-voiced stuff. (He recorded several albums for Laughing Hyena at this point; the best of these, "Jeff Foxworthy Live", is his greatest release to date.) Bill Engvall's stuff falls into the same category. However, his delivery at this early stage in his career is phenomenally unfunny; his obnoxious behavior and uncertainty in delivery is awful. Grant Turner plays a strange character, and fails in being funny because of that. Bobcat Goldthwait is as stupid as he ever was. And Bob Duback's ten-minute clip (the longest one here) isn't very good: it mostly consists of him faking accents and reading out funny book titles.

However, there are a number of genuine gems. Vic Henley's rapid-fire delivery and easygoing persona is enjoyable, and although it's dated, his bit on "Hee Haw" is great. Greg Travis has basically zero relation to the South apart from a short joke he tells at the beginning of his act, but he's hysterically funny, and his impression of Jack Nicholson is maybe the best. Ron Shock has the most low-down persona I've ever seen, but he maximises it by delivering hugely funny material in a hugely funny way. (He was better on the first RTR disc, though, and his self-released stuff is awesome.) Steve Verrett doesn't use his Cajun accent as a crutch; instead, he delivers simple comedy that works for him, but would have been very unfunny had anybody else done it. And best of all, Gary Mule Deer slaps together a disjointed mix of song parodies, political jokes, one-liners, pop culture quips and a bit based on George Carlin's "Headlines", and makes it work entirely too well. His performance is the high-watermark here. However, others aren't so good. I recommend seeking this one out to rent, or to buy at a cheaper price than $13, and make sure you know what you're buying before you whip out the cash.

When I saw this, I thought, "Neat, more of the "southern comics" I like so much." Wrong.....If I had been able to read the back of the DVD before purchasing, I would not have bought this. These segments are old....really old. As in 20+ years old. I am not happy with this item, the age of the clips should have been posted in the item discription.

› Go to Amazon U.S. to see both reviews  2.0 out of 5 stars