Ever since Og stepped in some Woolly Mammoth poop -- much to the delight of his fellow cavemen -- and Tor then got subsequent laughs telling that humorous tale to his fellow cave dwellers, people have been fascinated with and addicted to comedy. It's been studied on clinical levels and otherwise poked, prodded and observed about every way possible, all in hopes of trying to figure out why homo sapiens are one of the few animal species with a sense of humor.
Since it's so addictive -- both to audiences and the funny-makers -- a huge industry has developed around it, ranging from newspaper comics to sitcoms, movie comedies and, or course, stand-up comedians. The latter have a special bond with their audiences, not only because of the immediate contact and interaction from which such performers feed, but also because of the lineage that goes back those eons when glorified, furry elephant dung had 'em rolling not necessarily in the aisles, but certainly in caves, along river banks and such.
The latest examination of this particular human breed comes courtesy of actor Vince Vaughn and his aptly titled "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland." Fashioned after the Buffalo Bill Cody touring shows of old (hence the "Wild West" part of the title), the actor has assembled a small group of known and unknown comedians and actors, packed them in a bus, and set off on a cross-country tour.
Starting in Los Angles and ending up in Chicago via a circuitous route through middle America, the documentary mostly follows the work of four comedians. There's nine-year veteran Bret Ernst who draws some of his material from familial matters, while John Caparulo seems perfect to join the Blue Collar Comedy tour. Restaurant waiter Sebastian Maniscalco is hoping to give up his day job, while Egyptian comedian Ahmed Ahmed plays off anti-Arab sentiment in our post-9/11 world.
While the film -- directed by Ari Sandel using some incredibly low budget looking footage -- mostly focuses on those four on and off the stage, Vaughn occasionally gets into the act. The best bit is where he has his old buddy Jon Favreau and "Dodgeball" costar Justin "I'm a Mac" Long join him on stage for a skit that segues from him and Favreau doing the latter's "Dinner For Five" movie talkfest to that host and Long doing a scene from "Swingers," with Long doing a spot-on and quite funny impersonation of Vaughn in that film.
Other bits feature Keir O'Donnell playing off his deranged gay artist character from "Wedding Crashers," while backstage footage includes Peter Billingsley (Ralphie in "A Christmas Story") who's a longtime friend of Vaughn's and one of the executive producers of this effort. A funny side note features the two of them talking about meeting long ago when both appeared in an After School Special about steroids, and it's a blast seeing the young and lanky Vaughn in the piece.
There's also footage featuring Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam, and a visit to an evacuation camp for Hurricane Katrina victims (the tour was supposed to go through New Orleans and other environs before being rerouted as the storm wrecked havoc on the Gulf Coast). While the latter adds some nice depth to the offering, it also takes up a lot of time (as do some of the other bits), thus meaning that despite a nearly two-hour running time, not enough minutes are devoted to what makes comedy and these particular comedians tick.
Yes, there are various funny moments (the more you like or at least tolerate "blue" material, the more you'll find it that way), and the film in general is fairly entertaining. Yet, it ends up coming off as more of a travelogue about a group of guys spending 30 days and nights together in cramped environs than anything insightful, particularly given its documentary genre.
Accordingly, if you're not looking for something fairly insightful but just want some laughs and views of various venues around the country, "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland" may just tickle your funny bone enough to make it worth checking out. The film rates as a 5.5 out of 10.
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