The Funniest Stand-Up Comedy


   

The laughDB database is dedicated to the funniest comedy movies, stand-up comedy and TV series.

In this area (stand-up comedy), you can:
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Stand-Up Comedy Sets sorted by Recently reviewed (descending) / page 12 of 14


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Bill Maher: Be More Cynical DVDBill Maher: Be More Cynical
      2000 | USA | Laughs: 7.8 | imdb: 6.9
      wikipedia

Wherever you live, and particularly in the USA, there is so much stupidity in the mainstream culture that when someone points his finger at it and shows things for what they are, you can feel a relief that releases laughter. This is what Maher does here. He does it well—without rage or insults, but with a smile. My favorite segments where the one about society's fixation on kids and the one about government telling you what's bad for you. Some of the material will age poorly as it bears the stamp of current events, but I would watch the show again, unlike The Decider, another Maher show. (Last viewed: March 2011)

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Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth DVDDave Chappelle: For What It's Worth
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 7.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 8.6
      wikipedia

I discovered Dave Chappelle in the movie Half-Baked, which I hadn't expect to like, but did. I'm a bit sad because I really would like to give Chappelle four stars. When he's good, I love him. He's obviously really bright (good comedians have to be), and it shows in his style, the style of an independent thinker. But why does Dave have to spend half the show talking about the contents of his underpants? Is it to reach a broader audience, or does he really like smut talk? Anyway, for me, if you have such a hard time getting out of your underpants, I don't know if you can get four stars. (Last viewed: March 2011)

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Eddie Izzard: Sexie DVDEddie Izzard: Sexie
      2003 | U.K. | Laughs: 6.0 | imdb: 7.5
      wikipedia

If you've seen all of Eddie's shows, watching Sexie is a bit like a visit with an old friend. You have fun, it's very pleasant, but it's not a high of your existence. Sexie is not breakneck-speed-Eddie-Izzard, but more of a casual presentation to an audience that already loves him. The most striking part of the show is perhaps Eddie's costume, taken to an extreme that suits the famous rock'n roll venue, a series of cross-dressing outfits complete with high heels, skirts and fake boobs. Apart from a few flashbacks to other shows (speed archeology, Achilles heel), the material is fresh. My friend and I found the ending weak, with a horse-riding skit that goes on for about three times too long, then, for an encore, an impersonation that would be more at home in a "bonus material" section. I liked the show but will probably not watch it again.

There is a second DVD release from the Sexie tour called Live from Wembley. (Last viewed: December 2010)

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Richard Pryor: Live in Concert DVDRichard Pryor: Live in Concert
      1979 | USA | Laughs: 6.0 | imdb: 8.2
      wikipedia

When this show was taped, Pryor's "white people do this… black people do that" routine and use of foul language may have been cutting-edge material. Today, these aspects of the show feel tired. But there's lots left to like, from the skits about hunting in the woods and about boxing with Mohammed Ali to the fact that Richard is just a beautiful, mesmerizing performer. Just for those, I'd watch this tape again in ten years. A few laughs guaranteed, smiles throughout. (Last viewed: November 2010)

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George Carlin: Carlin on Campus DVDGeorge Carlin: Carlin on Campus
      1984 | USA | Laughs: 7.0 | imdb: 8.1
      wikipedia

Some of Carlin's show repeat old material. I like that most of the material here is original. There is a long and effective segment on driving. And even though I'm not a sports head, I love Carlin's upbeat-downbeat comparison of baseball and football. (Last viewed: October 2010)

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Bill Cosby: Himself DVDBill Cosby: Himself
      1983 | USA | Laughs: 8.0 | imdb: 8.2
      wikipedia

Many comedians make you feel dirty just for listening to one minute of their show. When you spend an hour with Bill Cosby, you feel like you've just visited with a genius uncle. Bill can make you laugh forever with ordinary topics such as dogs and children: Why would he ever bother with smut?

Unlike many comics who do their whole show without an expression on their faces, Cosby is an actor too—he may well have the most expressive face in the business. There isn't much Cosby stand-up on DVD, and, although on this one Bill is actually sitting for most of the show, it's a treasure. (Last viewed: October 2010)

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George Carlin: What Am I Doing in New Jersey? DVDGeorge Carlin: What Am I Doing in New Jersey?
      1988 | USA | Laughs: 7.5 | imdb: 8.2
      wikipedia

The show starts with a long boring introduction where George gets lost in a cab to New Jersey, then with a rather crass, long warm-up. But then George launches into several routines that had me laughing pretty hard: one where he develops the theme that "America is a great country but a strange culture", and one about tricks to keep clerks on their toes. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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George Carlin: Again! DVDGeorge Carlin: Again!
      1978 | USA | Laughs: 5.9 | imdb: 8.2
      wikipedia

A good show that I would not bother watching if you've seen George's Best Stuff. A gorgeous circular stage shows us a forty-year-old Carlin at his most animated as he whirls around to face different sections of the audience. I liked the segments about time measurements and about Al the weatherman. The show ends with what is perhaps the longest and best taped rendition of the "dirty words" routine. The credits roll as Carlin dances madly on the stage to an Irish tune, giving the audience another excuse to exhaust itself in applause. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Jerry Seinfeld: I'm Telling You for the Last Time DVDJerry Seinfeld: I'm Telling You for the Last Time (a.k.a Live on Broadway)
      1998 | USA | Laughs: 8.0 | imdb: 7.9
      wikipedia

What other comedians have a sitcom in their name and a documentary about their work? In this show, recorded two months after the airing of the last Seinfeld episode, Jerry Seinfeld bids farewell to his old material. For me, Jerry Seinfeld typifies the "eternal best man". In suit and tie, he moves and speaks with poise and ease. The language is clean, but the jokes are abrasive. When they are too long at the expense of the American underclass, I don't like Jerry very much… but he makes me laugh, and after innocent bits about shopping at the supermarket, going to the doctor or horse riding, I just have to forgive him. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Jim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale DVDJim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale
      2006 | USA | Laughs: 6.0 | imdb: 8.0
      wikipedia

Gaffigan addresses a square-looking, middle class, mostly white audience, on topics suitable for the prude (food, the holidays, celebrations, gifts and church), and in a language devoid of profanity. I enjoyed the absence of curse words for a break from comedians who run on expletives and bodily functions. I didn't feel mentally stimulated after watching Jim's show (unlike shows by Carlin, Izzard and Stanhope), but I felt good because I had laughed. Jim alternates between his strong Irish-American voice and a fledging voice meant to be the inner dialogue of an audience member. It's not very funny at first, but the technique gets some mileage by the end as the show builds up. I'd watch this again in ten years. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Sam Kinison: Breaking the Rules DVDSam Kinison: Breaking the Rules
      1987 | USA | Laughs: 6.1 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.3
      

This show is in the "Watch Once" section with a strong warning: steer clear if you have a low tolerance for adult themes, as Kinison spends most of the set below the belt. It may be funnier if you have had three beers like many of those in the audience. I am not particularly interested in Sam's favorite themes, but he smiles a lot and I do find him attaching. Some of the jokes would be great if he didn't yell all the time… I most enjoyed the segments about marriage and about how lying will enhance your relationships. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Dave Attell: Comedy Central DVDDave Attell: Comedy Central
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 6.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.5
      

Focuses on embarrassing moments, many of them relating to matters below the belt, but without using profanity. Rather than assaulting the audience, Dave makes fun of himself. He seems to be able to tap into a rich well of material: I will be curious to watch his later shows. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Dane Cook: Harmful if Swallowed DVDDane Cook: Harmful if Swallowed
      2003 | USA | Laughs: 6.2 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.1
      wikipedia

There's something about a good George Carlin or Eddie Murphy show that makes you think "I wouldn't mind watching that again someday". Dane made me laugh, but I have no desire to see him ever again, probably because his show lacks a certain brilliance. It's comedy for the masses, and indeed it feels like television: a young audience, an aggressive camera style, and a boyish performer who would be right at home on MTV: Dane puts a lot of energy into showing off his toned upper body. Actually, I really like that Dane acts out his jokes; he is very physical, sometimes a bit too much. For some reason, I'd say this is the kind of comedy that would go down well with a hamburger and a coke—foods I haven't touched in years. Perhaps by coincidence, I really enjoyed Dane's bits about working at a Burger King drive-through and about bathroom graffiti. Other good bits: what it would be like if we could spit acid; spelling toys of the 1980s. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Robin Williams: Live on Broadway DVDRobin Williams: Live on Broadway
      2002 | USA | Laughs: 5.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 8.5
      wikipedia

A lot of people love Robin Williams. He has amazing powers, but that doesn't mean I have to laugh at his stand-up comedy. For the first half hour of this show, I thought he was horrible. By the end of the show, he had done a handful of brilliant bits that made it all worthwhile.

Overall, I found him really vulgar, and not because of the language. Don't look to Williams for new perspective. This is not someone showing you a new way of looking at the world, but someone who make fun of people, often with amazingly cheap shots, as in the bit about Michael Jackson. If you want to understand the first part of the show, you'd have to subscribe to People Magazine: Williams spends a lot of time making fun of people I've never heard of. As time passes, these people will become more and more obscure. This gives the show a very short "best-by date", unlike the shows of people who address universal topics, such as Carlin and Seinfeld.

But Robin is fabulous with several accents, particularly the French accent (the show's best line: "Look…I'm giving a cigarette to a baby"). His segment about the countries that have the atomic bomb lets him showcase his accents, and it made me laugh. I also loved the part where Williams plays a Scottish man explaining the game of golf—it's five-star stuff, for the archives. Last, there was a passage about religions, straight out of Eddie Izzard. It made me wonder if Izzard ghost-wrote that piece, as I read on Izzard's site that Williams promoted his Dress to Kill show in the United States. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Chris Rock: Bigger and Blacker DVDChris Rock: Bigger and Blacker
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 4.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 8.0
      wikipedia

Watch once for research if you want to know who Chris Rock is, although you'll get a better measure of his talent in 2 Days in New York, where he acts opposite Julie Delpy. I like Chris, he just doesn't make me laugh very much. I first saw him in Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine, in the segment about five thousand dollar bullets, excerpted from this show—perhaps its best piece. Themes include crazy white boys, family, medicine, relationships. I smiled a lot and may have laughed once or twice, but I don't love Rock's strident voice and wound up delivery, nor the amount of time he spends on hard-core adult themes. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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