"JON REEP: METRO JETHRO"
CD/DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Jon Reep as HIMSELF Not Rated Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Jon Reep, winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” takes his down-home comedy from Hickory, NC, to a live show in Charlotte. In this special, he talks about what it’s like to be a “Metro Jethro,” which is a mix of small town goodness and Hollywood fru fru.
WHAT I LIKED
I have a love-hate relationship with redneck humor. On one hand, I like it a lot. Hell, it’s really funny at times. However, most of how I relate to it comes from people I know and my familial surroundings. I live in a relatively large city (i.e., Columbus, Ohio), so I’m a bit of a city boy. Still, I have family literally living in the hills of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, so I know what it’s like to be in a small town.
The best part about Jon Reep’s comedy is his down-to-earth feel. He makes no bones about who he is and what he does. In fact, he thrives on it. It’s his disconnect with Hollywood and simultaneous empathy with small town America that makes his show work. He points out the insanities of people in a small town – whether its insisting on your right to stand naked on your front lawn or the love the people have for their cars – and he also says it with a lot of love.
I can relate to a lot of what Reep says simply because I know family and friends who enjoy going down to the “riiffpher,” where you can drink and pee at the same time and no one is the wiser. I also relate personally to his home town nature. I’ve stayed in Hickory, NC before, and it fits the flavor that Reep demonstrates.
But the real catch to Reep’s humor is that he’s just a regular guy made good. And that’s a hell of a lot of charm right there.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
My biggest problem with this release isn’t the humor or the deliver. In fact, I enjoyed it, especially for how it doesn’t stoop to too much sex and crassness. (Don’t get me wrong... I love sex and all things crass, but even I admit they have to be there for a reason and also be clever in a comedy act.)
I take issue with the packaging. The CD/DVD combo comes in a CD jewel case, and it’s clearly a spoken-word release. But it also contains a bonus DVD of the entire comedy show and a bunch of special features. These are the coolest part of the package, and it just gets lost in itself.
DVD FEATURES
The DVD comes with a dozen or so special video bits. Several of them feature Reep confronting his father (the subject of much of his humor) with the truth behind the stories. Additional features include short comedy videos from a mockumentary about the non-addictive nature of cracked corn and a fake producer’s bad suggestions for his special to a behind-the-scenes look at his return to Hickory.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone who likes the humor of the red necks, white trash and blue collar, as Reep would say.
