Customer Reviews

Laughing Out Loud: America's Funniest Comedians - Vol. 5 [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

this is a five disc set that could easily be condensed into three very funny discs. each disc at some point leaves you wandering 'is the next guy going to be funny, man i sure hope so'. this set gives you a chance to see some of todays best comedians when they were much younger. some peoples bits are very short, one joke short, which leaves you feeling a little jipped. The replay value is minimal because you have to skip around so much to keep the laughs going.

With a roster that includes Adam Sandler and Jerry Seinfeld you might expect some stellar comedy, but several of the unknowns really drag it down. I could hardly tolerate watching some of it. Although it's novel to see Roseanne up on stage - thin, with feathered coif - the comedy just isn't consistent enough. Seinfeld is on for 2 minutes, Sandler tells 3 jokes over the course of 5 minutes. The first half is 4 stars, the 2nd half is 1.5. If you're looking for wall-to-wall laughs then go to the "Jerry Seinfeld on Broadway" DVD instead.

Of the Laughing Out Loud series, this is tied with #5 as being the best, but that isn't saying much. Tim Allen does his standard monkey voice bits, Caroline Rhea is quite good, and
Carrot Top (!?!) is another shining moment. Who knew he could be so clever and full of energy. Still not as packed with laughs as you might expect though.

The best thing about this set is the way you can look back at the handful of truly gifted comedians to grace our (mostly) 90's stages. A few drop-back into the 80's are in this as well. Hilarious moments that you will be glad you revisited. Some skits are a bit short. Giving you only a taste of greatness. And, leaving you wanting for more. Not a perfect box-set. But, it delivers what it promises. A boat-load of talented comedians giving you what has become their trademark bits of humor while they were still being honed. Many hours of true comedic history. Well worth it for the price.

An incredible waste of time. Jason Alexander gets 2 minutes of screen time, Chris Rock's act is not at all polished and drags on and on and on. A couple of laughs, but not enough to make this worth seeing. If you're looking into this series check out #5 instead.

Just about everyone who was doing stand-up comedy in the 1980s and 90s appears on the five hours worth of clips in MADACY's LAUGHING OUT LOUD: AMERICA'S FUNNIEST COMEDIANS box set. In alphabetical order, they are:

Jason Alexander, Max Alexander, Tim Allen, Jeff Altman, Louis Anderson, Tom Arnold, Bruce Bannin, Richard Belzer, John Caponera, Drew Carey, Jim Carrey, Carrot Top, Bobby Collins, John Ferrantino, Diane Ford, John Fox, Jeff Foxworthy, Janeane Garofaolo, Brad Garrett, Kelsey Grammer, Daryl Hammond, D.L. Hughley, Jenny Jones, Laura Kightlinger, Carol Leifer, Richard Lewis, Cheech Marin, Norm McDonald, The Legendary Wild Steve McGrew, John Mulrooney, Rosie O'Donnell. Marty Putz, Caroline Rhea, Chris Rock, Paul Rodriguez, Ray Romano, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Rhonda Shear, Judy Tenuta, Dennis Wolfberg and Bob Zany.

The discs are stored in a unique tin case that has a lift off lid. Each DVD includes "Classic Jokes" and "Lost Stars" segments.

For some truly classic story and joke telling, you can't beat THE BEST OF THE TONIGHT SHOW - STAND UP COMEDIANS with host Johnny Carson.

FEATURED HIGHLIGHTS of the LAUGHING OUT LOUD box set:

DISC ONE--

Countdown

Nature's Boudoir

Best Parrot

Jesus & Ebenezer

Lemon Picker

DISC TWO--

Pig Romance

Cat Scan

86% of Women

Fight Like a Man

Marriage Dues

DISC THREE--

God's Money

IRS Strongman

Lawyer Sandwich

Him 3

Multi-Denominational Hell

DISC FOUR--

Bar Chores

Father and Son Reunion

St. Peter's Decision

Floored Men

Multi-Denominational Happiness

DISC FIVE--

Constant Catch-Up

Speeding Fish

Wife Golf

Political Bigfoot

IRS Line-Up

These performances all come from '80s basic cable, so there's no really blue material here. There are some funny sets on this disk (Brad Garrett, Drew Carey and Ellen DeGeneres are standouts, as you might expect), along with a few clunkers (a young Adam Sandler's terrible and Unknown Comic Murray Langston's bit is shockingly terrible once he takes the bag off). Bob Zany is nowhere to be found even though he's supposed to be on disc 4, bay-bee. Bruce Baum is introduced as Bruce "Bannin". Kelsey Grammer is no stand-up comic, and it shows. Jerry Seinfeld's bit is literally a minute long. The extras are beyond worthless. I checked this out from the library and recommend you do the same, or rent: your enjoyment of the good stuff will be tempered by your overall buyer's remorse.

There are moments of mirth, but not enough to offset the terrible production value of these tapes. I bought the whole set, so it's not just one bad tape. This is a waste of money regardless of the historical value, in my opinion.