Customer Reviews

Brian Regan: The Epitome of Hyperbole

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Just finished this DVD and we all enjoyed it very much. I still rank his first "I walked on the moon" as the best...and probably his second "standing up" slightly over this as it does have a 30 minute special as a bonus feature as well as encores. The Epitome Of Hyperbole is not a bad third place but at a scant 42 minutes seems to end waaaay too early. The bonus encore is also very brief (about 4 minutes) and the making of is fun but not really something you want to watch again and again. So...most of my complaining is that I want more of this guy....he's just that good, original and works clean (which I don't demand but he is different by that mere fact).

Brian's expressions and physical humor is almost as funny as his stories and bits..which I don't want to give away...but lets just say that if you own the other two DVDs ....there isn't overlap of bits...so ...bottom line..you really need ALL THREE! his first one is available on his site...is an hour of gut busting stories from the classic "Say 8" to the title track.

I've seen him in concert and we just got tickets to see him in October...he is worth it live or on DVD...and his reputation and drawing power is completely due to word of mouth and talent....NOT the hype of NON funny "celebs" like Dane Cook....

Highly Recommended....!!!

I agree with the earlier comment that this is the weaker of Brian's three DVD releases. But all things are relative - and this is still a very enjoyable, though brief, performance. If I had greater expectations, it was because I just saw Brian perform live a week ago -- and he has a lot of hilarious new material that did not appear in this DVD (all the more reason to catch his live show if you can!).
Brian's warm, average-joe delivery style is what makes him so likeable. His observations on everyday life are keen and hilarious. Brian's topics on this DVD include: realistic cooking shows ("Tune in tomorrow when after 45 minutes of preparation, I realized I don't have any eggs", Pluto getting kicked out of the group of planets ("You're no longer a planet. The best we can figure is, you're just a big nothing"), walking up to strangers at parties ("I don't know what you're talking about. May I still stand here?"), the crimes of manslaughter versus loitering, game show contestants, etc.

At 40 minutes in length - with just 4 minutes of encore - this DVD is much too short. I'm waiting to see the other half of his show that was edited out on this DVD. But, it's still a fun 40 minutes.

I have seen Brian Regan live and seen his DVD's several times. Brian is always excellent at observational humor, and has the physical gestures and delivery needed to make the jokes work perfectly. Although I think this is not Brian's best DVD, it's still worth seeing (several times). I especially liked the routines about approaching strangers at parties and about Pluto's removal from the list of planets.

I was on the fence for rating this DVD. The performance warrants a five star rating, but the show is only 42 minutes long, and the encore is much shorter than his standard (it's only four minutes long, and isn't especially strong, but was essentially an "audience request" format). "The Backstage Story" is interesting, and gives a lot of information of how a show of this scale is made, and I recommend watching it. I settled on four stars because there are better and longer Regan shows on DVD (I'm especially fond of "Standing Up").

Brian Regan is one of the funniest (and cleanest) comedians working today, and I highly recommend all his material, and especially recommend catching his live act if you are able to.

There were some definite laugh-out-loud moments in this stand up routine. Like I actually threw my head back and laughed at the ceiling funny.
Brian Regan keeps his jokes pretty clean. No cussing, no hot topics, nothing that could really offend anyone...though the joke about having a roller coaster named after JFK where you're constantly watching your back might seem tasteless to some. I thought it was funny.
His routine is just about the day-to-day stuff we go through, but with a comedic twist of course.

There's lots of good stuff here like....if reading makes people so smart, then why do they need the title of the book at the top of every page? He also talks about ideas for a new ballet story...how a realistic cooking show would look like...the lunacy of pet psychics...and more.

He sometimes stays too long with jokes and some of the jokes were just okay. He also tries to act like Jim Carrey by contorting his face, but it's actually funny. Overall, this routine cracked me up and I like that he ended his show with a bang.

Absolutely the funniest man alive! King of clean humor, and every time I watch it I find it funnier than the time before. His physical humor adds so much, although I have this one on CD as well and he still cracks me up!

Brian Regan is one the greatest of comics of all time. His self-deprecating sense of humor is never obscene or innappropriate and always has me in stitches!

If there's anybody funnier than Brian Regan, you'll have to forgive me for not catching the name -- I was howling too loud at Brian Regan.
This, the astude film noir buff will know, is a take-off on a line of Sideny Falco
as played by Tony Curtis in "Sweet Smell of Success."
I discovered Brian at the Improv in D.C. many, many years ago. I couldn't believe how funny he was. Every time he played that club, I went and took friends.
In addition to enjoying Brian again and again, I liked observing just how quickly he got people to laughing with tears rolling down their cheeks -- usually in under two minutes. Amazing!
If you compare, as some commenters have, this DVD program to previous ones, OK,
it may not be up to that level. BUT...if you compare Brian to the foul-mouthed, put-down, nothing-sacred comics out there, he is a refreshing feast of entertainment.
So,...do you get the idea I recommend this and other CDs and DVDs of Brian Regan? You bet! So thanks for "listening" and ... "take luck."

I love Brian Regan. Yet, as many have already pointed out, this is not his best release. I just want to add that the problem actually isn't the material. The material is at about the same level as his past top-notch stuff. So, what happened?

He just isn't selling the jokes.

Perhaps he wasn't feeling well or maybe he just didn't know the material backwards and forwards, to the point where he could concentrate on the delivery. Whatever the cause, the material is delivered at a slow pace, in often hushed tones, and with long pauses. Going back and listening to past efforts, it is clear that it was his energy and excited delivery that drove the absurdity of his observational humor all the way to the edge of insanity. Which is exactly why it left us in stitches and barely able to breathe.

Was Brian depressed? Distracted? Living in laid back California for too long? No matter. Just pour Brian a couple of strong cups of coffee before the show next time and give our friend another go.

This is an enjoyable DVD, but IMHO it is not nearly as good as "Standing Up" (defintely get that one first). And as others have said, it does seem a little short. One star off for not being as good as "Standing Up" and one star off for being a little short.

After watching Regan's last Comedy Central special, I was hesitant to watch this performance. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the surplus of intelligent observations. Coupled with his hilarious expressions and upbeat personality, this special was highly entertaining.
And he pronounced every word correctly. Mostly.