"RUSSELL PETERS: RED, WHITE AND BROWN"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Russell Peters as HIMSELF Not Rated Studio: Comedy Central Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Russell Peters in a Canadian of Indian descent, which has given him plenty of material for his stand-up comedy act. Taking a biting look at race and culture in the 21st century, Peters uses his unique style and knack for accents to give a new look at everything from work to dating. This stand-up comedy special was recorded live for his ground-breaking Homecoming Tour, featuring 20 minutes of additional material not seen on broadcast television.
WHAT I LIKED
Having grown up in the 1980s and gone to college in the 1990s when Comedy Central was really getting its footing, I have seen plenty of stand-up comics. I’ve never been a fan of comedians who rest their whole routine on dropping the F-bomb and just talking about sex. (And if they’re ugly comedians, like Garry Shandling or Sandra Bernhard, the sex talk always makes my skin crawl.)
Russell Peters gives a unique spin to his comedy. Sure, it’s ethnically driven, and he rails on the different stereotypes. However, he’s not as raw as someone like Chris Rock but still manages to be hilarious at times. A lot of his punch lines rely on his ability to do politically incorrect yet surprisingly accurate accents for Indians, Arabs and the Chinese. It’s one of those comedy specials that you’ll laugh at, but probably you’ll laugh hardest if you’re home alone watching it.
Before seeing this DVD, I hadn’t heard of Russell Peters, and I’m glad I had a chance to sample his work. Even his sexual material is funny without being too crass that it loses its edge.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Like many comedians, Russell Peters does let his jokes run on a bit long. His audience tends to be overwhelmingly ethnic, so maybe some of the humor is just lost on a fat white guy like myself. Still, these moments of being bogged down in the same joke don’t last too long.
DVD FEATURES
If you’ve already seen Peters’ Homecoming Tour on Comedy Central, you can enjoy 20 additional minutes of stand-up. there’s also a commentary track featuring Peters, Clayton Peters and director Jigar Talati. It may not be the most entertaining or informative commentary, but it is interesting to hear commentary over someone talking for 80 minutes.
There are two pretty nice pieces to the DVD that add quite a bit of value. First, there are multiple “deleted scenes,” which have been plucked from two other performance. The DVD set also comes with a bonus CD that includes the original “Red, White and Brown” comedy performance.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who like good, politically incorrect stand-up comedy.
