2008 Woodie Awards
Vaughn's 'Comedy Show' delivers unique looks at life
Andy Bockelman
Issue date: 2/11/08 Section: Entertainment
In the spirit of "The Original Kings of Comedy" and other stand-up documentaries of the sort comes "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland."
Beginning in September 2005, Vince Vaughn began a comedy tour featuring four hand picked stand-up comedians. Citing Buffalo Bill Cody's stage show as an inspiration, Vaughn claimed to want to bring a zany experience to a large portion of the country, not only with the comics, but also with his own style of humor.
The lineup includes the following: John Caparulo, whose stage persona is a blend of Larry the Cable Guy, Lewis Black and the main character from "Sling Blade"; Ahmed Ahmed, the son of Egyptian immigrants who has much of his routine derived from living in a post-9/11 world; Bret Ernst, an Italian-American who proudly asserts himself as a Guido; and Sebastian Maniscalco, the only one of them who still has to work another job in order to support himself.
As the film crew makes its way across the states, the perspectives of the comics are recorded; their thoughts on the success of each set, the prospect of their futures and the frightening concept of being stuck on a bus for a month.
Vaughn is rarely in the spotlight, thankfully, allowing us to get a closer look at his discoveries. An unusual blend they are, from foul-mouthed but often insightful Caparulo to Ahmed, who jokes about being able to meet more girls who want to piss off their parents by dating a possible terrorist. The neuroses of Ernst and Maniscalco are especially intriguing, as one is a total perfectionist and the other is banking everything on the outcome of the tour.
Joining them on their journey are some of Vaughn's best friends who have starred with him in other projects, such as Peter Billingsley (also an executive producer) of "A Christmas Story," who met the actor on the set of an after-school special and has been close with him since. Jon Favreau makes a few appearances, reenacting one of the duo's more notable scenes from "Swingers," as do Justin Long and Keir O'Donnell, having been in "Dodgeball" and "Wedding Crashers" with Vaughn, respectively. The late Buck Owens ("Hee Haw") and country music singer Dwight Yoakam also participate at the beginning of the tour.
Beginning in September 2005, Vince Vaughn began a comedy tour featuring four hand picked stand-up comedians. Citing Buffalo Bill Cody's stage show as an inspiration, Vaughn claimed to want to bring a zany experience to a large portion of the country, not only with the comics, but also with his own style of humor.
The lineup includes the following: John Caparulo, whose stage persona is a blend of Larry the Cable Guy, Lewis Black and the main character from "Sling Blade"; Ahmed Ahmed, the son of Egyptian immigrants who has much of his routine derived from living in a post-9/11 world; Bret Ernst, an Italian-American who proudly asserts himself as a Guido; and Sebastian Maniscalco, the only one of them who still has to work another job in order to support himself.
As the film crew makes its way across the states, the perspectives of the comics are recorded; their thoughts on the success of each set, the prospect of their futures and the frightening concept of being stuck on a bus for a month.
Vaughn is rarely in the spotlight, thankfully, allowing us to get a closer look at his discoveries. An unusual blend they are, from foul-mouthed but often insightful Caparulo to Ahmed, who jokes about being able to meet more girls who want to piss off their parents by dating a possible terrorist. The neuroses of Ernst and Maniscalco are especially intriguing, as one is a total perfectionist and the other is banking everything on the outcome of the tour.
Joining them on their journey are some of Vaughn's best friends who have starred with him in other projects, such as Peter Billingsley (also an executive producer) of "A Christmas Story," who met the actor on the set of an after-school special and has been close with him since. Jon Favreau makes a few appearances, reenacting one of the duo's more notable scenes from "Swingers," as do Justin Long and Keir O'Donnell, having been in "Dodgeball" and "Wedding Crashers" with Vaughn, respectively. The late Buck Owens ("Hee Haw") and country music singer Dwight Yoakam also participate at the beginning of the tour.
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