RICKY GERVAIS OUT OF ENGLAND: THE STAND-UP SPECIAL - DVD review

Ricky Gervais has made me do something I never thought possible: to laugh through a minefield of topics I never thought it was alright to laugh at. In his "Out of England-The Stand-Up Special," the comedian tackles AIDS, obesity, Hitler and cancer, among others, seemingly without breaking a sweat or being offensive.

In the bonus material, Gervais spends some time explaining his comedy philosophy. One, he tries to say the things the audience is thinking but won't articulate. And two, the performer needs to likeable in order to not sound discriminatory to his subjects. Indeed Gervais is immediately sympathetic from the moment he takes the stage. There isn't a swagger about him, no grandiose aura or feeling he is superior to everyone. No, he's an everyman, someone we could run into at the bar…excuse me, pub…or grocery shopping. He demeans himself in order to get a laugh. And, from my personal opinion, he's ten times funnier than Jerry Seinfeld ever could be.

His routine starts with talking about his charity work, a recurring theme from beginning to end. Again, the idea isn't for him to puff out his chest or make himself look good; he uses the charity work as the source of humor. Take, for instance, the time he autographed memorabilia for a terminally ill teenager. The young man was 18 at the time. Gervais came back to do another fundraiser two years later, when the person in question would have been 20. The comedian recognized him, made sure it was the same patient and promptly kicked him out.

Now, I don't buy for a second anyone got kicked out of the performance. He even mentions this is the extras: the ability to play the role of a bastard without actually being one. See, comedy isn't only about being able to deliver a punch line; it's about slipping into and out of a role when the material demands it. This is why "Out of England" works so well. Unlike Rosanne Barr-who may very well be a crude person in real life-Gervais doesn't come off as one. That's why he's able to mock obese people mercilessly and not have the audience sit with their mouths agape.

The obesity portion of the show may be the funniest bit Gevais does. By saying the decidedly un-politically correct, he drains the pretentiousness out of the room, indicating he's just like the rest of us. While pudgy himself, he's good natured about it, recounting lines used in newspapers and online to reference him. Sure, the routine could launch into a tirade against these kind of people, but that's not who Gevais is. As a comedian, he sees the inherent comedy all around him-even when it's reflected in the mirror.

"Out of England" starts to lose some of its zip around the 45 minute mark, as most comedy specials tend to. The material becomes a bit predictable and one bit about safe sex for gay men is terribly unfunny, not to mention overlong. I liken this phenomenon to talking with an elderly relative. The stories are fascinating and awe-inspiring for a half hour, maybe a bit more, but then you need to get up, walk around, hear someone else talk, grab some pop from the refrigerator…something other than be regaled with memories of The Crimean War (FYI: That conflict occurred from 1853-1856; yeah, that was intended as a bit of lame humor on my part.)

If that's the worst I can come up with about the production, then it must be doing something right.

VIDEO:
"Out of England-The Stand-Up Special" is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen format and, for the genre, the picture looks pretty good. Gervais' black wardrobe is presentable, as are dark crowd shots. The giant-sized "RICKY" in lights behind him is also rendered well. There's no problem per se with what's on screen; it's all very serviceable. Artifacting is not present, the transfer is clean-as it should be for a recent production-and what limited colors are present come off well. I did notice a bit of distortion around his head on dark backgrounds (such as when he stands between the "RICKY" letters). It's almost a nonissue unless you're sitting on top of the television.

AUDIO:
Similar to the video specs, the English 2.0 mix does what it needs to do and little more. The comedy routine is free of distortion or other noticeable issues. Directional sound effects don't factor into the enjoyment (or lack thereof) of the material since this Gervais is the only speaker with dialogue. Crowd applause is authentic and not overpowering. There are no subtitle options which I initially feared because of a perceived language barrier. Fret not: Gervais speaks in perfect American English.

EXTRAS:
The disc is packed inside a normal black keepcase without an insert. Ten chapters stops are included. On the disc itself is an eleven minute "Conversation with Ricky Gervais" where the comedian talks about the audience liking the performer and being more of a storyteller than dealing with topical humor. He proves himself to be affable fellow capable of being a captivating interview without feeling the need to be funny. Credit also goes to the interviewer and producer for trying to peel back the layers of a stand-up routine.

PARTING THOUGHTS:
Not exactly a disc to pop in for family night because of questionable subject matter and language, "Out of England" manages not to be offensive or sink to the level of using epithets for its humor. Gervais is one of the bright spots in the comedy world who rarely delves into topical humor, opting to tell anecdotes or stories about life. After all, that is the most unique and interesting type of humor, isn't it?