There was a day in the not so distant past when there were about six big name comedians in the country, and everybody pretty much knew who they were. In the past several years, however, stand-up has really taken off in the United States, and it has become increasingly more difficult to keep track of who is who. Jeff Cesario is one of those that has garnered some popularity over the past several years, and is starting to make a big name for himself, but has certainly not arrived on the big stage just yet.
Sinc… comedy is so subjective, it doesn’t really seem fair for me to say “this guy’s funny” or “his show is lame”, because who am I to decide what you are going to think is funny? All I can do is speak for myself, and I personally didn’t care for him. I found him pleasant enough, and some of his jokes were very funny, but generally speaking, his brand of humor just wasn’t for me. Others may really enjoy him, and that’s fantastic, he just happens to not appeal to me. As a result, my advice to you is that if you have not seen Cesario perform before, you might want to rent this title before you buy it.
Audio
The 5.1 track on this disc is really interesting. Cesario’s monolog comes through with all of the clarity and nuances that you would hope to hear from spoken word on DVD. It is also nicely anchored to the center channel, just as it should be. The interesting part comes in with regards to the audience reaction. I have heard applause coming from the left and right front speakers before. I have also heard it coming from the front and the back equally. This is the first time that I have heard each individual laugh separated out between each of the four speakers and blended. The result is probably the most realistic audio track that I have ever heard on a stand-up DVD. For once, it actually does sound much as it would sound if you were actually in the audience.
Video
The first thing that I was pleased to find is that this performance is presented in widescreen. For some reason, concert videos and stand-up comedy have really been slow in showing up to the widescreen party. For those of us that own HDTVs, this can be frustrating. Luckily, this is a stand-up disc that looks great. Not only is the video sharp and grain free, but the color really pops as well. In fact, the only real complaint that I might have is that the color might be a little too saturated. While heavy stage lighting looks great in person, it is sometimes a little too much for video. Having said that, it is really not a major problem, and the overall quality of the transfer here is way above average.
Special Features
There are two extras on this disc. One is a collection of various trailers from other stand-up conics, as well as a trailer for a “learn to play poker” DVD. The other extra is a collection of deleted jokes from the show. These deleted bits are only available in the stereo audio format, but they are presented in the original widescreen format. While it is clear why these segments were cut, they are still marginally funny and the segment is actually fairly lengthy.
Conclusion
If you are a Jeff Cesario fan, you will undoubtedly be pleased with this DVD release. The audio and video quality are both first rate. As for weather or not you will find Cesario funny, that is a question I just can’t answer. This disc is also a bit short on extras, but overall the quality is high, and stand-up fans will undoubtedly be pleased with this title.
Special Features List
- trailers
- deleted scenes
Screenshots
