Lewis Black’s routine, originally aired in 1998, is underwhelming and feels incredibly dated. A good portion of his material focuses on the most recent Super Bowl. This routine is so old that Black is making jokes about a Super Bowl halftime show and he doesn’t even have Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction as fodder, because it hasn’t happened yet.
Carlos Mencia continues to amaze me with his ability to be painfully unfunny for an entire routine and still have a fan base. Similarly, Dane Cook has somehow convinced a good portion of Americans that him yelling stupid things loudly makes them funny. These routines weren’t funny the first time around.
Ultimately, The Best of Comedy Central Presents Uncensored is an utterly disposable disc. If you’ve never seen the routines before, there’s some enjoyment to be had, but this disc will never be a frequent visitor to your DVD player. If the “uncensored” claim excites you – forget it. It’s an unabashed ploy to sell DVDs. Don’t be sucked in.
Article comments
1 - Jordan Richardson
I don't agree with you about stand-up having a short shelf life, however I do agree with the notion that the stand-up comics found on that DVD would most surely be limited in their value.
I think of comics like George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, George Burns, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Bill Cosby, and to an extent Jerry Seinfeld and I find their work to be as amusing today as it was when it first came to light.
I think it all depends on the talent and the context of the comedy. Today's comics, I think, represent a shift in comedy as a whole and are more geared towards offending an audience than provoking them or making them laugh. Lenny Bruce knew how to provoke people and how to make them laugh at the same time, whereas guys like Dane Cook don't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence.