The collection of episodes found here are supposed to be the rare and unedited recordings from the public access show Dr. Steve Brule once filmed. Of course the show is actually a fake one, but for those who have channel-surfed late at night I’m sure at some point the channel has stopped on a public access program. It was supposed to be a forum where anyone could go in and after some training on equipment be able to film their own program. Some would have the standard one show where the host would take random phone calls while discussing a variety of topics. In the case of Dr. Steve Brule (John C. Reilly) he tried to produce his own ‘on the town’ news program.
This DVD release consists of the first two seasons that were six episodes each. Each episode runs about 11 minutes each, which is just long enough for the show to not wear out its welcome. Just upon first glance this show isn’t for everyone. With the bad video editing, often times the show is cut over separate shows and segments. Then there is the bad public domain music, bad camera work, and Dr. Steve Brule, who just might be the worst host to ever hit the television screen. But it’s all this put together in such a fashion that it starts to grow on you, and it’s just so outrageous and absurd I found myself laughing harder with each following episode.
Whether it’s an episode about Food, Friendship, Boats and even Space, Brule manages to find the topic so unintentionally funny. In the Food episode we get to follow along with Steve as he goes to a restaurant and dares to eat everything off the menu while he flirts his way into getting the waitress to be a guest on the show. Little does Steve know he actually already knows the server.
In the episode about Friendship, we get to see the real side of Brule as he goes throughout the episode trying to find a friend. At one point he finds himself at a gay bar, drunk and on the bathroom toilet, abandoned by all his Bear friends. It’s at this point you really begin to sympathize with Brule, and the character is more than just a gimmicky joke but a character with heart.
As Steve stumbles his way through every episode, never quite pronouncing a guest’s name correctly or getting any fact straight, you can’t help but feel bad for the guy. Seeing the knucklehead eat seafood out of a dumpster, or filming in split screen so he can have a conversation with his non-existent brother. Yeah, it can be a little depressing at times, but in the end the show will still manage to get a few laughs out of you. So what are you waiting for? “Check it out!”
