Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show (2006)

Movie still
Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights-Hollywood to the Heartland (2006) was the ‘event film’ that I hoped it would be. Whenever the entire cast and the director shows up, you can’t go wrong.

Vince Vaughn introduced the film—a documentary about Vaughn and 4 other comics that perform 30 standup shows in 30 days. They travel across the US in a couple of buses from Los Angeles to Chicago.

At first I was worried that Vaughn would be the entire film but it’s really about comedians Bret Ernst, Ahmed Ahmed, Sebastian Maniscalco and John Caparulo. Each of them has a style of comedy that is unique and very funny. You’ll bust a gut when you watch this.

Aside from the performances there are some wonderful personal stories behind each comic. We get to meet their parents and find out where they’re coming from. We also gain a little insight into what drives a lot of their routines.

There are a few rough spots in the film that just feel awkward. They don’t fit. They’re nice moments (visiting hurricane Katrina victims) but they disrupt the overall rhythm.

I watched this film at Ryerson which looked fabulous in high definition using a Christie HD projector. The sound was also excellent.

Vince Vaughn and the entire cast did a Q&A after the film that was the icing on the cake—entertaining and informative. With a documentary film like this, you always want to know what happens to the main characters after filming. It was nice to hear that each of them is pursuing their dream of performing standup comedy and not waiting on tables. Once this film hits theatres, their job should be a little easier.**½

Films are rated from 1 to 4 stars.

Posted in 2006 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 2:46 PM