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Special Features
- 8 episodes from the 2007 season
- Best of the 24 Hour Marathon
- Deleted Scenes
- Extended Sketches
- Behind the Scenes footage
- Movie Awards promos,
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Sketch comedy troupe Human Giant aim for a sweet spot somewhere between the freewheeling absurdity of Mr. Show and the slacker/frat boy comedy of Dane Cook. The trio of Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, and Paul Scheer create sketches ranging from recurring bits like Shutterbugs (a hard-driving talent agency for child actors) and the Illusionators (two magicians who can do real magic but have such low-self esteem that they only raise the dead to make their card tricks truly impressive) to stand-alone bits like a drug-addicted genie or an attack-dog service designed to gain sympathy for the victims. Some satirical targets--like extreme sports or The Exorcist--are pretty tired, but others sketches have a true spark; for example, Space Lords, in which a super-powered alien intent on taking over the Earth falls in love with a terrestrial girl (Mary Lynn Rajskub of 24) and falls over himself to make her happy. Human Giant don't compare well to their idols--there's something formulaic and lazy about most of their humor--but they've clearly found an audience. Human Giant: The Complete First Season contains eight 20-minute episodes. But for true fans of the show, the glories of this dvd set may be on the second disc, which contains excerpts from the marathon when Human Giant was given free reign over MTV for 24 hours and did pretty much anything that came into their heads, occasionally punctuated by musical acts like the National. Other bonus features include rambling commentaries (some episodes have two), footage from early live performances, a few deleted scenes, and some oddball things like phony dedications to dead crew members and the repeated takes from a child actor who had to say one short line in an early sketch. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
A collection of recklessly hilarious, fast-paced, hard-hitting short films, Human Giant brings viewers innovative comedy with a distinctive style and direction. First seen online, short clips like "Shutterbugs" and "The Illusionators" have gained a huge cult following. Human Giant has also gained a large audience in the New York comedy club scene through live shows at the underground club Upright Citizens Brigade.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
123 of 124 people found the following review helpful
By Aziz Ansari
Format:DVD
Hi,
I'm Aziz Ansari, one of the creators and stars of Human Giant and I can't recommend this show enough. Unfortunately, the Amazon editorial review is the only bad review of this DVD I've really seen. Don't listen to Bret Fetzer. He went to elementary school with me and I remember him being pretty racist.
Here's our A- minus review from The Onion AV Club.
Human Giant: Season One (MTV)
Reviewed by Nathan Rabin
March 5th, 2008
Fans like to bemoan the premature deaths of Mr. Show and Arrested Development, but both enjoyed substantial runs and left behind a lasting cultural legacy. A direct line can be drawn between the cult shows of the very recent past and the cult shows of today. Arrested Development found a worthy heir in 30 Rock, while the terrific sketch-comedy show Human Giant serves as a vital link between Mr. Show and the current generation of web-weaned funnymen who made their names posting homemade videos online instead of working their way through Second City, The Groundlings, or Saturday Night Live. The show's central dynamic echoes Mr. Show as well. Like Bob Odenkirk, Rob Huebel boasts the bland good looks of a local TV news anchor, yet there's a spark of madness and rage at his core. Castmates Paul Scheer and Aziz Ansari, meanwhile, take turns inhabiting the David Cross role.
Unlike Mr. Show, Human Giant isn't averse to recurring characters. Popular bits like "The Illusionators" (a pair of David Blaine/Criss Angel-like magical douchebags who are alternately astonishingly lamely mundane and genuinely magical) and "The Shutterbugs" (about intense, hyper-profane children's agents who become the brain trust behind the notorious flop Li'l 9/11) prove that in spite of what decades of Saturday Night Live suggest, the phrase "funny recurring character" doesn't have to be an oxymoron.
Like The Ben Stiller Show before it, Human Giant earns its MTV pedigree by being the kind of hip rock 'n' roll show where guest appearances by Ted Leo or Ghostface Killah are par for the course. In fact, Human Giant may be the only hip rock 'n' roll show left on MTV. The half-hour format suits its short, punchy aesthetic perfectly, but it's fascinating watching more than an hour's worth of excerpts from a 24-hour marathon where the cast of Human Giant and a gaudy procession of big-name guest stars (including Odenkirk) took over MTV and MTV2 for an entire day. It's a testament to the show's addictiveness that the excerpts leave audiences hungry for more. Given Human Giant's web-friendliness, it's also fitting that the full 24 hours can probably be found somewhere online.
Key features: Hilarious deleted scenes, live footage, a preview of season two, and amusing audio commentaries from the cast and selected guest stars.
A.V. Club Rating: A-
I'm Aziz Ansari, one of the creators and stars of Human Giant and I can't recommend this show enough. Unfortunately, the Amazon editorial review is the only bad review of this DVD I've really seen. Don't listen to Bret Fetzer. He went to elementary school with me and I remember him being pretty racist.
Here's our A- minus review from The Onion AV Club.
Human Giant: Season One (MTV)
Reviewed by Nathan Rabin
March 5th, 2008
Fans like to bemoan the premature deaths of Mr. Show and Arrested Development, but both enjoyed substantial runs and left behind a lasting cultural legacy. A direct line can be drawn between the cult shows of the very recent past and the cult shows of today. Arrested Development found a worthy heir in 30 Rock, while the terrific sketch-comedy show Human Giant serves as a vital link between Mr. Show and the current generation of web-weaned funnymen who made their names posting homemade videos online instead of working their way through Second City, The Groundlings, or Saturday Night Live. The show's central dynamic echoes Mr. Show as well. Like Bob Odenkirk, Rob Huebel boasts the bland good looks of a local TV news anchor, yet there's a spark of madness and rage at his core. Castmates Paul Scheer and Aziz Ansari, meanwhile, take turns inhabiting the David Cross role.
Unlike Mr. Show, Human Giant isn't averse to recurring characters. Popular bits like "The Illusionators" (a pair of David Blaine/Criss Angel-like magical douchebags who are alternately astonishingly lamely mundane and genuinely magical) and "The Shutterbugs" (about intense, hyper-profane children's agents who become the brain trust behind the notorious flop Li'l 9/11) prove that in spite of what decades of Saturday Night Live suggest, the phrase "funny recurring character" doesn't have to be an oxymoron.
Like The Ben Stiller Show before it, Human Giant earns its MTV pedigree by being the kind of hip rock 'n' roll show where guest appearances by Ted Leo or Ghostface Killah are par for the course. In fact, Human Giant may be the only hip rock 'n' roll show left on MTV. The half-hour format suits its short, punchy aesthetic perfectly, but it's fascinating watching more than an hour's worth of excerpts from a 24-hour marathon where the cast of Human Giant and a gaudy procession of big-name guest stars (including Odenkirk) took over MTV and MTV2 for an entire day. It's a testament to the show's addictiveness that the excerpts leave audiences hungry for more. Given Human Giant's web-friendliness, it's also fitting that the full 24 hours can probably be found somewhere online.
Key features: Hilarious deleted scenes, live footage, a preview of season two, and amusing audio commentaries from the cast and selected guest stars.
A.V. Club Rating: A-
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Joe Levine
Format:DVD
Sketch comedy hasn't been this brilliantly absurd since the Upright Citizens Brigade. Maybe the only sketch show that develops their recurring characters with each appearance rather than relying on the same jokes each time. Comparisons to "Mr. Show" is a little unfair as they have almost nothing in common besides being sketch shows, but that doesn't take away from the show's quality, it's definitely head and shoulders above any other sketch show on television today.
Bret Fetzer is a dick.
Bret Fetzer is a dick.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Aaron Nevins
Format:DVD
If there was any doubt that sketch comedy shows could work in the new millennium, Human Giant disproves it. I can only assume MTV was skeptical when these three hilarious young comedians came to them with their mission statement to make a comedy program accessible to everyone except Amazon.com's own Bret Fetzer, but their investment paid off and the results are top-notch.
Buy this DVD and prepare yourself for hours of entertainment.
Buy this DVD and prepare yourself for hours of entertainment.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Genious Comedy
This sketch comedy show from a collaboration of three of today's funniest comedians is packed with witty, outside-of-the-box jokes. Too bad MTV cancelled it so soon.
Published 3 months ago by Robert A. Vazquez
4.0 out of 5 stars
Takes a unique sense of humor to like this...
You of course have to have an awkward sense of humor to like Human Giant. Cheesy. Subtle. Original. Bizarre. Very funny.....if you're a little unconventional.
Published 3 months ago by GeorgeRP
4.0 out of 5 stars
awesome
hilarious. i loved it. any plans to release season two?! i wish MTV still made sketch comedy shows. really funny
Published 4 months ago by Geoffrey Pettys
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Show!
I love this collection. Great quoteables throughout. I was bummed it got cancelled to make space for all the heinous shows MTV has now. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Kyle, just Kyle
4.0 out of 5 stars
For those without an "easy" sense of humor
This show caught my eye while I was stuck on a very boring business trip. It was the best part of the whole time I was out of town. Read more
Published on April 19, 2010 by William E. Diehl
4.0 out of 5 stars
show really tapers off. special features save this dvd.
I watched the first two episodes at a friends house and immediately fell in love. It was up there with some of the best sketch comedy ever. Read more
Published on April 3, 2010 by Mike C.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Gift for Fans of Funny
This DVD has a great flow about it and is quite long actually , so you get some bang for your buck.
Sketch comedy that isn't dull and lame like so many other groups... Read more
Sketch comedy that isn't dull and lame like so many other groups... Read more
Published on December 21, 2009 by GuyDudeBro
2.0 out of 5 stars
Some good ideas...
I think this show is a case of some comedians with good ideas, but not enough to make an entire show. Read more
Published on May 3, 2009 by S. Driks
5.0 out of 5 stars
You need the right sense of humor for this. If you have, you'll love...
This is megatron awesome. These guys really make a great product but with a low budget feel. Well, more than a feel it is low budget but done very, very, well. Read more
Published on April 24, 2009 by W. greytak
2.0 out of 5 stars
meh.
The State > Human Giant.
... I guess anyone under 25 wouldn't know about that.
Can't discredit HG completely, they are funny. Read more
... I guess anyone under 25 wouldn't know about that.
Can't discredit HG completely, they are funny. Read more
Published on July 6, 2008 by L1nz.
