DVD Review: Laff Zone
Mill Creek Entertainment Offers Early Acts of Today's Comedy Greats
Jun 3, 2009
With questionable video quality throughout (given the time during which most of these skits were originally filmed), some finicky viewers used to Bluray and HD may find it hard to get through 8 hours' worth of stand-up routines, however this collection of old clips from comedians passing by the Rascals Comedy Club in the 80's, tends to have some passable moments, and may even offer a snicker here and there.
Laff Zone Overview
The majority of these 40 comedians featured on this two-disc set are probably still relatively unknown or have move on to other things (or in the case of Richard Jeni, dead by suicide), however a handful of names have since become household brands.
Tim Allen, at the time a recovering ex-con who used to deal cocaine, works out some ideas on a very trendy crowd, with some material that may feel familiar given his later Home Improvement days. That being said, the footage they opted to offer in this case, isn't his best work.
The same can be said for Ray Romano, of Everybody Loves Raymond fame, who either makes fun of his wife, or his Italian heritage. Either way, fans of his later CBS show will feel like they're experiencing déjà vu.
Some others you expect and predict easily, such as the usual chauvinism and misogyny from Andrew "Dice" Clay (though he does tell off a heckler quite nicely), as well Rosie O'Donnell's brand of household quips, and how she views Hollywood celebrities (though she herself would become one later in life, oh ironies of ironies).
The second disc features the more obscure names, and feels too much like filler. A few exceptions (Chris Titus and Robert Schimmel) to the rule do exist, but the others are just killing time on stage, and may cause some viewers to skip over this title and wait for more recent fare on The Tonight Show, wishing to avoid too many Reagan jokes.
The Laff Zone DVD Overall Analysis
This DVD set should only be for fans of the aforementioned forty comedians showcased on the back of the set. It is frustrating to see a cover to this disc, that feature such prominent (not to mention recent) publicity shots, only to then offer very dated footage, that often rivals that of badly shot home videos.
But then again, as previously mentioned earlier in this review, no one should be approaching The Laff Zone with high expectations of structure or story. This is a compilation of early footage from comedians from yesteryear. If none of them get a rise out of you, then focus on Mario Cantone's hyperactive Prince impressions. This reviewer giggled, and had to watch it again.
The disc announces this set as "The greatest collection of craziness ever compiled". Well, not quite. But if you're the kind that used to spend late evenings in the 90's watching A&E for Budd Friedman's An Evening at the Improv, than this should be right down your alley.
4 out of 10, for shamelessly passing off a very bad video quality pile of old clips, as a major showcase of today's talents back when...Minus points for misleading buyers by using modern pictures on the cover. Bonus points for Mario Cantone, and one or two Diceman moments.
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