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DVD Review
DysFunktional Family
By Lee Tistaert Published September 24, 2003
US Release: April 4, 2003
Directed by: George Gallo
Starring: Eddie Griffin
R
Running Time: 89 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $2,224,000
Directed by: George Gallo
Starring: Eddie Griffin
R
Running Time: 89 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $2,224,000
C
91 of 132
There are several jokes that work, but Griffin just cannot sustain attention for eighty minutes
Eddie Griffin?s comedy concert, DysFunktional Family, is not as unfunny as Martin Lawrence?s Run Tel Dat (D+), but it still is not funny enough to recommend.
There are several jokes that work, but Griffin just cannot sustain attention for eighty minutes.
The idea of reviewing comedy concerts can be a tough one for reviewers, as there is no plot, but just a comedian at center attention for about an hour and a half. Therefore, there is not much to critique other than the rate of hilarity intertwined, and any comparisons one finds between other concerts in the genre.
In this case, DysFunktional Family is pretty bottom of the barrel, as I only chuckled maybe three or four times over an 80-minute time span. But what makes this comedy routine an exception is the good natured spark of Eddie Griffin, and the non-stand up clips that are woven around his antics; sometimes I found myself more interested in his family members than his own foul mouth remarks.
The difference between Lawrence?s Run Tel Dat and Griffin?s shtick is that Lawrence had a tendency to be very crude in his act, along with being very detailed (sexually speaking) without a comedic punch line. The audience at his concert would of course laugh, but to me he was poking fun without a joke.
Griffin is very foul, but he?s a hard comedian to dislike ? he?s got the appropriate charisma and endurance for stand up comedy, but he?s working with material that doesn?t quite seem up to his level of expertise. Stand up comedy is no doubt a very challenging act to execute successfully, but the comedian has had numerous films that suggest his good sense of humor.
What allows icons like Robin Williams, Chris Rock, and Jerry Seinfeld to hold their current statures (stand up wise) is the consistency of solid punch lines and the ability to sustain momentum. Griffin doesn?t appear to have an adequate amount of knowledge surrounding opening an act, pacing, and closing off with a killer finale.
His climax here is a bit sudden and comes out of nowhere, which in a successful act the audience should have some sort of awareness that the show is coming to an end just based upon how the performer is handling his/her performance and material.
Though DysFunktional Family isn?t very funny, you can do a lot worse, as there are amateur stand up comics who appear on Comedy Central and never even get the faintest chuckle out of me. Hardcore fans of Eddie Griffin may appreciate his antics, but for those like myself who?ve enjoyed his films but don?t exactly worship him, the stand up routine is simply mediocre. A few gags are well presented, but the general balance is way off, with his energy being just about the only thing rescuing his act.
If this project had dedicated more time to his family members than his performance, DysFunktional Family may have actually been a more intriguing experience. As a result, you can do a lot better, but you can also do a lot worse.
DVD Features:
- A Dysfunktional Premiere
- Deleted Scenes
- Widescreen
Audio Features:
- (English) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
There are several jokes that work, but Griffin just cannot sustain attention for eighty minutes.
The idea of reviewing comedy concerts can be a tough one for reviewers, as there is no plot, but just a comedian at center attention for about an hour and a half. Therefore, there is not much to critique other than the rate of hilarity intertwined, and any comparisons one finds between other concerts in the genre.
In this case, DysFunktional Family is pretty bottom of the barrel, as I only chuckled maybe three or four times over an 80-minute time span. But what makes this comedy routine an exception is the good natured spark of Eddie Griffin, and the non-stand up clips that are woven around his antics; sometimes I found myself more interested in his family members than his own foul mouth remarks.
The difference between Lawrence?s Run Tel Dat and Griffin?s shtick is that Lawrence had a tendency to be very crude in his act, along with being very detailed (sexually speaking) without a comedic punch line. The audience at his concert would of course laugh, but to me he was poking fun without a joke.
Griffin is very foul, but he?s a hard comedian to dislike ? he?s got the appropriate charisma and endurance for stand up comedy, but he?s working with material that doesn?t quite seem up to his level of expertise. Stand up comedy is no doubt a very challenging act to execute successfully, but the comedian has had numerous films that suggest his good sense of humor.
What allows icons like Robin Williams, Chris Rock, and Jerry Seinfeld to hold their current statures (stand up wise) is the consistency of solid punch lines and the ability to sustain momentum. Griffin doesn?t appear to have an adequate amount of knowledge surrounding opening an act, pacing, and closing off with a killer finale.
His climax here is a bit sudden and comes out of nowhere, which in a successful act the audience should have some sort of awareness that the show is coming to an end just based upon how the performer is handling his/her performance and material.
Though DysFunktional Family isn?t very funny, you can do a lot worse, as there are amateur stand up comics who appear on Comedy Central and never even get the faintest chuckle out of me. Hardcore fans of Eddie Griffin may appreciate his antics, but for those like myself who?ve enjoyed his films but don?t exactly worship him, the stand up routine is simply mediocre. A few gags are well presented, but the general balance is way off, with his energy being just about the only thing rescuing his act.
If this project had dedicated more time to his family members than his performance, DysFunktional Family may have actually been a more intriguing experience. As a result, you can do a lot better, but you can also do a lot worse.
DVD Features:
- A Dysfunktional Premiere
- Deleted Scenes
- Widescreen
Audio Features:
- (English) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Lee's Grade: C
Ranked #91 of 132 between Biker Boyz (#90) and Open Range (#92) for 2003 movies.
Ranked #91 of 132 between Biker Boyz (#90) and Open Range (#92) for 2003 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
