Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Schonfeld
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Raunchy stand-up roadshow will appeal to teens.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show
What's the Story?
In the late summer of 2005, Vince Vaughn and a company of four young stand-up comics plucked from a well-known Los Angeles comedy club embarked on a 30-day, 30-city stand-up marathon. With the added attraction of some appealing guest stars -- including Justin Long, Peter Billingsley, and Jon Favreau -- the show played to delighted, mostly college-aged audiences in sold-out auditoriums. This documentary follows the company, on stage and off, as they make their way across America.
Is It Any Good?
For the most part, Vince Vaughn achieves his goals; like the stand-up show, the movie is funny, irreverent, hip, macho, revealing, and heartfelt. Credit Vaughn with trying to pay it forward: Grateful for his own success, he hoped the country would fall in love with comedians Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, and Sebastian Maniscalco, and that certainly seems to be the case. The film does run a bit long, though, and occasionally is upended by raging testosterone and lapses into childish behavior.
Ahmed, Caparulo, Ernst, and Maniscalco -- and, of course, Vaughn -- are talented, funny men. They're also revealed to be very human. Scenes between shows (shot in the luxury bus that was their home for the trip) are mostly playful but also reveal the insecurity and fear that are part of show business. In four highly personal scenes with the comics' families, the audience gets a first-hand look at their origins, their characters, their hopes, and their vulnerability. Those scenes make this film more than just a comedy revue.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether the movie's documentary format heightens viewers' appreciation of the comedians. What did you learn about the actors and comedians that surprised you? Did your feelings change as you got to know them and their families? Was the segment in which the comedians worked "clean" (for young Hurricane Katrina victims) less funny, more funny, or about the same as their usual routines? Why?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 7, 2008
- On DVD or streaming : June 2, 2008
- Cast : Ahmed Ahmed , John Caparulo , Vince Vaughn
- Director : Ari Sandel
- Inclusion Information : Middle Eastern/North African Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Wild West Picture Show Productions
- Genre : Documentary
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : pervasive language and some sex-related humor.
- Last updated : March 14, 2020
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