Mitch Fatel gained a lot of his credentials in stand up comedy by touring clubs around New York City since he was 15. His genre of perverted sexual comedy is a guilty pleasure of the late night hosts: Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O’Brien have him on regularly to perform and act as a correspondent. Mitch has released two comedy CD’s (Miniskirts and Muffins and Super Retardo) that were very successful prior to this Comedy Central special. To say that his style of comedy is low-brow is the understatement of the year. However, I found myself laughing at some of his material and needing some time to reflect on myself shortly thereafter.
Mitch Fatel is Magical starts with a scantily clad magician’s assistant and Mitch together in a narrow box on stage. Viewers can see the overall direction of his material immediately without Mitch saying a word. However, when he does being doing his material viewers will be distracted by his performance. His speech and cadence resembles a scared young man, which is quite the contrary. Mitch is a seasoned comic and his act is self dubbed as “retarded”. This crude self branded style of comedy is Mitch’s bread and butter. So, if viewers can get past this style and have a low standard of being politically correct, this DVD is for them.
The comedy does not take any other direction than girls and sex. With observational comedians, the idea is for audiences to identify with the comedic observations by the comic. By just limiting yourself with crude humor, you are narrowing your audience exponentially. However, Mitch is branching out. By doing correspondent work on network television, he is increasing his appeal. If you are interested in sexual comedy from a perverted male perspective you’re in for a treat.
Video
Mitch Fatel is Magical is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture looks great. The few colors that are on the screen are visually pleasing. The stage background is a very full blue with red lights that highlight Mitch. The flesh tones are good and the original broadcast of this was in HD, so naturally the quality is above expectations.
Audio
The 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound is a nice compliment as well. The audience laughter is immersive and viewers feel transported to the show. There is no issue of dialogue clarity and viewers can hear every punch line. The production quality of the sound and video of this Comedy Central series is brilliant.
Special Features
Mitch is a Big Star: A very brief deleted scene with Mitch making the claim that his water already be opened prior to performing. Not a very funny scene, it was a smart move removing it.
Mitch is Photogenic: A behind the scenes look at the DVD cover photo shoot. It is a very short scene and its inclusion seems meaningless.
Mitch is Imitated: The audience from the DVD taping imitates Mitch’s comedy. Some are entertaining, most are not.
Mitch is Perverted: More post-taping interviews, people defending Mitch’s crude sense of humor. It is interesting to see the eclectic mix of Mitch’s fan base.
Mitch is Reviewed: More of the same interviews. The topic is changed, but the discourse is the same. The viewers will find this tiresome.
Mitch is Talented: More of the same interviews. The topic is changed, but the discourse is the same. The viewers will find this tiresome.
Mitch is Animated: A very short animated comedy bit.
Final Thoughts
Mitch Fatel is not re-inventing the wheel with this genre of comedy and truth be told there are a couple of laughs. However, the public opinion of this special would definitely be split. Mitch Fatel has a die-hard fan base. Unfortunately, I don’t believe I am fully prepared to join up yet.
