If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

As Good As It Gets

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The documentary-style stand-up comedy portrait begins with our four favorite comedians fishing in a small lake, firing of one comfortable relaxed joke after another.. This set-up puts the specs into the wonderful laid-back mood that these stand-up comedians prosper from. Their intellectual commenting, unexpected twists, playful teasing and the in-between-the-stand-up-sequences make this mix of stand-up styles work as a perfect cocktail; Ron, as the whiskey-drinking loud-mouth with an almost scary instinct for fast remarks and extremely intelligent commenting. Larry, the extra-extra laid-back red-neck of the lot, who delivers almost every joke with his one personal trademark written all over it and a certain "that just ain't right" feel to it. Bill, with his sharp interpretations of everyday life, his ruthless "here's your card [stupid]" jokes and finally, but not least, his openhearted spills of his personal life. Jeff (without a doubt the most famous of the four, at the time), with his well-known comedy based on his own life and that of others around him, only beaten by his own "you know you're a Red-Neck when..." jokes. ..If someone's chained you to a chair, locked you into a room and swallowed the key - being the ONLY reason not to have seen this stand-up marvel - I suggest you burst out of those chains, smash open that door and run down to the nearest video-store ASAP; cause this one, can't be missed!!!

Spoilers herein.It used to be that a standup comic would make an LP. Cosby, Prior... all the greats would have to generate funny from a universal place. We'd buy these for a specific laughing purpose which is all but forgotten now. Things have changed - DVDs have switched the economics of comedy, so that lesser talents can be moved into niches. Movies are all about inventing lives, so those niches are now defined by comics and routines that are all about helping the audience decide who they are.I thought little of this was funny, and none of the unpracticed stuff. If these guys really were blue collar comics, they would be genuinely funny people (we all know some) instead of professional storytellers with funny material.But I'll give them this: nearly all this humor is goodnatured. It invites the audience to poke fun at itself. Contrast this with most `black' humor, which helps its audience define itself by poking fun at others.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

I am not a yuppie, country club golfer, or business tycoon. I have been called a redneck among other things, and I went to Agriculture school and am employed as a salesman for a livestock equipment company. I say all that to say this- I am a blue collar North Carolina country boy, and I think this movie just doesn't cut it.RON WHITE- Perhaps the funniest of the comedians featured here (believe me, there's more on the unfunny ones later), Ron White's material deals with small town life in a different way than Foxworthy/Engvall/LTCG. His comedy is more cerebral than the others, so I'm sure that fans of the other 3 won't find White as funny.BILL ENGVALL- Bill Engvall's shtick has worn thin by now. The "Here's Your Sign" bit died in 1996, but don't tell that to Bill. Watching this film, I get the feeling that Bill Engvall thinks he is funnier than he really is. If you can make it through Bill Engvall, here's to ya.LARRY THE CABLE GUY- Larry the Cable Guy I just don't get. His voice is an obvious caricature of the dumb redneck at the gas station and I admit that the first time I saw this movie, I actually thought he was kind of funny, but the more I see his act and hear his voice, the more it grates on my nerves. He has a knack for making up "madder than", "happier than", "meaner than" type quips that some audiences have howled at, but I just scratch my head. The material in this movie isn't so bad and it's not totally unfunny, but if you get a chance (and God help you if you consciously do so) to see Git-R-Done, which is LTCG's full routine, you will see some of the worst comedy ever recorded. And yet, the audiences roar and Larry is hotter than a rocket. Go figureJEFF FOXWORTHY- Foxworthy is now a guilty pleasure. The "You Might Be A Redneck" routine has worn VERY thin by now, and you can even see apprehension on Foxworthy's part when he is going through this bit later in his act. I think it has pigeon holed him as the redneck comic. His stand-up is better than Engvall & LTCG, but the whole bit is nothing new. The guilty pleasure part of all of this is that I can't turn away from Jeff Foxworthy. When he's on the radio, I can't help but listen to the same routines that I've heard a thousand times before. Maybe that is the appeal of Blue Collar comedy.Ironically, I think people who get the biggest kicks out of this aren't rednecks at all. I watched this on Comedy Central with 2 guys- one from Maine, one from New Hampshire- and they laughed like this was the funniest thing they had seen.The beautiful thing about comedy is that it knows no bounds and is broad enough to appeal to every human being on earth. I prefer a Brian Regan or Dennis Miller, while some prefer Chris Rock, David Brenner, or Bob Hope. There is no one alive who doesn't like to laugh and the bottom line is that this is a love-it or hate-it film based on what makes you laugh; there are no gray areas here.

I know this comedy show taped in Phoenix offends some people and others just don't get the southern humor. But if anything can cross lines, this video will.I'm at a loss to explain those who want to march on comedians, movies or any other creative endeavor that violates some politically correct niche the would be marchers inhabit. It's like Jay Leno making a frog comment and the letters pile in from some society dedicated to the prevention of amphibious slander.One commenter made notes of "prejudices" that had me laughing nearly as much as I laughed at the video. The rampant prejudice in their comedy is aimed not at any stereotype other than themselves; rednecks! Anyone believing these four men are the characters on stage is trapped inside television. This ain't real folks. They're playing parts like any actor.For profiling advice, see Ron White.Speaking of Ron, all these guys are hilarious. Yes, some of their material has been around long enough many have heard the routines, but they are funny and they are a comfortable ensemble. Larry the Cable Guy seems to be a "I wish I hadn't laughed at that crudity but I did" favorite, but I'm telling you Ron White is comedic genius.His pacing and timing is perfect, his delivery of the kind that one is born with, not learned. You can turn off the sound and he is still funny. He reminds me of Dean Martin's presence (not because of the cigarette and Manhattan) but because he has a subliminal connect with the audience. He comes out, he grins and they're all buddies before the first word comes out of his mouth.These guys, as a group and as individuals, are not stupid. You don't get to where they are by being idiots, only by portraying them. They know what they are doing.This video is about laughing, about laughing really hard because they talk about things that have happened to us, things we have felt. Life is sweet, life is beautiful, life can be ugly and hard, and, often, life, real life, is hilarious. And all those traits aren't isolate, they mix and mingle and complicate.This crew just reminds us of that.