"COMEDY CENTRAL’S ROAST OF BOB SAGET"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Bob Saget as HIMSELF John Stamos as HIMSELF Jon Lovitz as HIMSELF Greg Giraldo as HIMSELF Norm MacDonald as HIMSELF Not Rated Studio: Paramount/Comedy Central Directed by: Joel Gallen Back to DVD Review Home |  |
For many a year, I hated Bob Saget. I can’t speak for what he’s like as a human being, but growing up in high school and college with those godawful episodes of “Full House” and the blindingly unfunny laugh-at-your-own-jokes stand-up he did on “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” Saget the comedian earned a place in the coldest part of my soul.
Later in my life, I saw some of his other work, particularly the more adult comedy he did. I’ll say that he has a knack for being funny if he’s not restrained by being a sit-com dad or a host of a popular family television show. His movie “Dirty Work” was pretty funny, and he was one of the more hilarious comedians featured in “The Aristocrats.”
Still, my hatred for the character of Danny Tanner on “Full House” made me eager to see the Comedy Central “Roast of Bob Saget.” Add to this fact that a reviewer friend of mine who caught it in its original cable broadcast highly recommended it, and I was sold.
To fully appreciate a roast, you have to be familiar with the victim’s career. And while I haven’t followed Saget’s career per se, I’m familiar with his sense of humor now that he’s an “adult” comedian.
You also have to have a good (and hopefully demented) sense of humor. The point of a roast is to be unrelenting. And you can’t get easily offended. While watching this program, with child molestation and extreme gay jokes abound, I am reminded of the infamous Whoopie Goldberg roast where Ted Danson showed up in blackface and the Barbara Walters roast when one of the presenters wondered out loud what her interview with Elmer Fudd would sound like.
With as off color and dramatically hurtful this roast was, no one gets angry. In fact, it fuels Bob Saget to launch into a blue tirade at his roasters. It’s what a roast should be, and I laughed through most of it.
On one hand, I would caution anyone watching this DVD to not show it to their grandmother who was a fan of the wholesome show “Full House.” On the other hand, I urge people to show this DVD to anyone who loved Saget’s early years. After all, imagine how hilarious it would be to see how they react?
Whether it’s John Stamos making out with Cloris Leachman, Jon Lovitz giving his raunchy re-name to the television series “One Versus One Hundred” or Norm MacDonald plowing through the funniest string of non-funny jokes, “The Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget” is comedy gold.
In addition to Stamos as the Roastmaster and the aforementioned guests, Saget is ripped apart by Jeff Garlin, Greg Giraldo, Jeffrey Ross, Gilbert Gottfried, Jim Norton, Brian Posehn and Susie Essman (using much worse language than she did in “Bolt”). Video clips include jabs by Don Rickles, Lewis Black and Sarah Silverman.
Bonus features include “On the Blue Carpet” questions for the celebrity guests, an “After the Roast” segment as well as one-on-one interviews with Bob Saget, giving him a chance to defend himself.
I’ll admit that after seeing this roast, I have a new appreciation for Saget and his body of work.
