Denis Leary & Friends Presents: Douchebags and Donuts

Denis Leary and Friends presents: Douchebags and Donuts includes stand up sets from Adam Ferrara, Lenny Clarke, Whitney Cummings and Denis Leary. Also, there are musical performances by The Enablers featuring the Rehab Horns.  All proceeds from this event (as well as portions of the DVD sales) went/go to Denis Leary’s charity, The Leary Firefighters Foundation. The support and charitable disposition that Denis Leary has maintained toward firefighting is well documented and it is nice to see his attitude has not changed.  I am certain that all of you can guess the material that will be explored in these performances and the majority of you will not be surprised whatsoever.  However, there are some laughs throughout.

Denis Leary’s meal ticket throughout his career has been to pull no punches and leave no stone unturned.  His material is usually always motivated by his unwavering hatred toward popular culture and his throwback mentality.  Leary’s set is his typical abrasive self. A popular theme in stand-up comedy is to have screens on stage to emphasize the comedian’s set and also provide some visual aids to help their performance.  Leary has added this to his comedic repertoire and it works well with his material.  My only critique with his set is that it can often be redundant.  If a particular joke does not go as expected, Leary tends to yell his punch lines louder and I found myself annoyed.  Other than that, his set is a standard profanity laced tirade against any and all things in popular culture.

I will say that putting the headliner first for a comedy show is an interesting concept.  Using Denis Leary as a warm up for the other comedians is a nice selfless move by Leary. Usually most headliners have an overwhelming ego that prevents them from going on first. Leary embraces this role which loosens up the crowd as well as the other performers. The other comedians offer some good material that keeps the flow going well.  The highlights include about 2/3 of Whitney Cummings set and a couple of Adam Ferrara’s jokes.  Overall, if you are a stand-up comedy lover and enjoy Denis Leary’s material/persona, this is will not disappoint.

Video

Denis Leary and Friends presents: Douchebags and Donuts is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen.  The colors are vibrant and clearly arrive from an HD transfer. The images are free of pixilation with no dullness. It is a very serviceable transfer.

Audio

The 5.1 Dolby Digital surround is clear and immersive.  All of the jokes are clear and you can always hear what the comedians are saying.  There is high production quality with this mix and it shows quite well. 

Special Features

“F— You” – Do not get your hopes up.  This is not the Grammy nominated Cee-Lo Green song.  It is an extra song Denis Leary performs with The Enablers and the Rehab Horns.  You can imagine the subject matter and trajectory the song takes.

Traditional Irish Folk Song – It is essentially rinse repeat with the above song. Another musical number chopped from the DVD.

Snapshots from the Road (10:47) – A behind the scenes featurette with a few chuckles from the comedians.

Detours on the Road (5:08) – More behind the scenes with the comedians with tour bus gags and interviews.

Final Thoughts

Denis Leary and Friends presents: Douchebags and Donuts is for a great cause.  The Leary Firefighters Foundation has raised $10 Million since it was started in 2000 for funding and resources for the best available equipment, technology and training; for any additional information check out: www.learyfirefighters.org. The performances have their moments and it is well worth a look for any stand-up comedy fan.