The Funniest Stand-Up Comedy

Jim Jefferies: Alcoholocaust
      2010 | Australia | Laughs: 7.0 | imdb: 8.3
      

The set includes a segment about religion (different from Jim's previous ones, and still excellent), certain imbalances in the male-female equation, and other topics churned through Jim's sharp mind and foul mouth. As in Jim's previous shows, the tail end contains the weaker material, so that by the time the curtain falls you're ready to say goodbye. (Last viewed: December 2012)

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Jim Jefferies: Contraband
      2008 | Australia | Laughs: 6.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.8
      

Apart from a few minor details, this is the very same show as I Swear to God—shot the year before and slightly less fluid. Not worth watching if you've seen I Swear to God. (Last viewed: December 2012)

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Jim Jefferies: Fully Functional
      2012 | Australia | Laughs: 8.1 | imdb: 8.1
      

(Warning: foul language, adult themes.) It's not everyday a comedian releases a set that is funnier than his first DVD of four years before—funny material is not that easy to come by—but Jim Jefferies has done just that. Because he is Australian, Jim can say things to an American audience that an American would have a hard time getting away with. There is great alchemy between Jim and an American audience, an alchemy that he seems to have refined since his move from the UK to the States. I look forward to seeing more of Jim over the years. (Last viewed: December 2012)

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Doug Stanhope: Deadbeat Hero
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 5.5 | imdb: 8.4
      wikipedia

This show starts out poorly: for about fifteen minutes, Doug seems bent on breaking some kind of gross-out record—for no good reason that I can think of. Beyond that, it's a fine show, less for the laughs than for the rare display of lucidity, and perhaps to enjoy hearing Doug voice out things you have been thinking all along. (Last viewed: December 2012)

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Jim Jefferies: I Swear to God
      2009 | Australia | Laughs: 7.0 | imdb: 8.2
      

Jim has an extremely foul mouth and often lingers on extremely foul themes. Nevertheless, the filth doesn't seem as gratuitous as in the mouths of most stand-up comedians—except perhaps for this set's very weak ending. The segment on religion was excellent. Despite the needlessly crude language, the rest of the show gave me good reason to laugh as well, and I spent a pleasant hour. (Last viewed: December 2012)

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Bill Burr: Why Do I Do This?
      2008 | USA | Laughs: 8.1 | imdb: 8.4
      

This set was my first time watching Bill Burr. He made me laugh, and I'll be coming back for more. Apart from his humor, I really liked his energy—he smiles a lot, he moves around, he delivers at a good pace. (Last viewed: December 2012)

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Zach Galifianakis: Comedy Central Presents
      1998 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 | imdb: 8.0
      

After enjoying Zach more in recent movies such as Due Date than in his earlier roles, it was a pleasure to see him on stage—but I found the segment pretty weak. He opened by rolling out one joke after another. I much prefer when the material is connected. After five minutes, Zach jumped on the piano—to my mind, an accessory that rarely add comic power, but more often covers up loose material. It was cute, but not what I'm looking for when I want to laugh, and I nearly went to sleep. The audience of young women laughed hysterically at the least syllable, so at least someone liked the show. I'll be looking for a full set of Zach's material to see how he performs without the constraint of a twenty-minute TV segment. (Last viewed: November 2012)

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John Cleese: The Alimony Tour
      2011 | U.K. | Laughs: 3.0 | imdb: 7.2
      

As a John Cleese fan, I found this set just watchable, and only out of interest in John Cleese. Aided by slides and video clips, Cleese navigates through episodes of his life and career, episodes which include a costly divorce that forced him out of retirement—the show's premise. There were a few chuckles, but overall this is not a great piece of stand-up. Unless you have a rabid interest in John Cleese, you can safely skip it. (Last viewed: May 2012)

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Lewis Black: Red, White and Screwed
      2006 | USA | Laughs: 2.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.8
      

This 2006 show has little more than fast-aging, circumstantial material focused on the main preoccupation of the city where it was taped, Washington, D.C.: the two main political parties of the United States. It is slow, it is weak, it is not very funny, except for a laugh or two that fail to redeem the show. Black on Broadway, by the same comedian, is older but much funnier. (Last viewed: January 2012)

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Lewis Black: Black on Brodway
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 6.5 | imdb: 8.1
      wikipedia

Does it take twenty minutes for Lewis Black to warm up, or does it take twenty minutes to warm up to him? To my ears, Black often seems to yell, which I find unpleasant. He is also heavy on expletives that don't really help his material; at least he doesn't dwell on the content of his underpants. The first laugh was a long time in coming, but by the middle of the show, I had started laughing out loud. I like that Lewis draws laughs by placing his compatriots' world view ("America number one") in a wider context. Some countries are good at making fun of themselves, some not as good, and that makes Lewis's efforts all the more valuable. Red, White and Screwed, by the same comedian, sits firmly in the "Don't Bother Watching" category. (Last viewed: January 2012)

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Brian Regan: Standing Up
      2007 | USA | Laughs: 8.0 | imdb: 7.9
      

I was impressed that none of the material repeats that from 2004. For the most part, just as funny as I Walked on the Moon. I took off one quarter of a star because of the parts of the show when Brian mentions his children—cute but not funny. Very strong show overall. (Last viewed: April 2011)

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Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired
      2006 | USA | Laughs: 8.2 | imdb: 7.3
      

I think I may have enjoyed this show even more than Tongue Untied. Wanda's style is unlike that of any other comedian I know—male or female. I find her brilliant. Much of the humor in this show comes from Wanda divulging thoughts that are normally kept private. This gives her a surprising ability to draw laughs out of "dirty topics" without making you feel dirty. Not that the entire hour of the show is spent below the belt: it also visits "serious topics" such as war and medical care. (Last viewed: April 2011)

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Ricky Gervais: Out of England
      2010 | U.K. | Laughs: 7.6 | imdb: 8.0
      

Taken independently, this show rates four stars on my scale. But if you've seen Politics, you may be disappointed—it seemed to me that three quarters of this show's material was identical to the earlier show's. Yet the stage was magnificent, with massive lit letters spelling the name "Ricky", a clear effort to go "over the top", perhaps because the show was recorded in the United States. (Last viewed: April 2011)

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Ricky Gervais: Politics
      2004 | U.K. | Laughs: 7.4 | imdb: 7.8
      wikipedia

Gervais is so politically incorrect that he can make you ashamed of laughing at his jokes! I enjoyed this show's dark and naughty sense of humor, though at times I almost wanted to make sure no one saw me watching. I couldn't help laughing, but even as I laughed I had to feel sorry for Ricky' victims. One is left wondering if the man on stage is truly mean, or if his meanness is only his act.

I found the pacing excellent, full of pauses in the right places, except for a crude segment purporting to describe a funny pamphlet. It went on forever: Ricky certainly knows how to stretch a bad joke. (Last viewed: April 2011)

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George Carlin: Carlin at Carnegie
      1982 | USA | Laughs: 6.5 | imdb: 8.1
      wikipedia

In this show George wears a spectacular green outfit, and that's a good thing because in the beginning there is not much else to hold your attention. It was a good fifteen minutes until I cracked a laugh. Before then, the funniest thing was to see members of the audience roaring at jokes that completely flopped in our living room. I should also say that I don't care for the faces Carlin makes (in this show and others) to mock people whom he wants to portray as having a low intellect. Why does he have to cross his eyes? Is strabismus a sign of low IQ? I don't suffer from that condition, but the mime annoys me—I find it to be stupid, mean, gratuitously offensive comedy. This show has other weak bits: one of these interminable sessions where George pretends to read "the news"; and a variation on his classic bit about the words you cannot say on television. It only felt like an hour long. So why the 3.25 stars? I really like the part about fussy eaters. And for me, the segment about dogs (also on George's Best Stuff) may be his best skits ever. It is followed by a few minutes about cats, also George at his best. (Last viewed: March 2011)

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