Customer Reviews
Irony is an art, not an excuse - By: Josh Tusepack, 15 Oct 2008 
Let's put to one side the hypocrisy of Gervais, who's now bought into the celebrity culture he tried to build his career mocking in an attempt to ingratiate himself to a young audience. Let's also put to one side the tedious 'joke' that he tried desperately to brand his 'faux' arrogance (how many times can you do that & have people believe you're 'only pretending'?). Let's just simply look at what's on offer here, & whether it's any good.
The answer is no. I winced several times while watching this, not only at how unfunny the material was (cheap, lazy writing with the trademark Ricky Gervais pops at the handicapped, diseased & so on) but that the man himself had lost touch to the extent that he didn't even realise. You end up feeling quite embarrassed for him. Oh sure, the audience laughs, but it's not hard to find an audience who'll will themselves to enjoy something if you overcharge for tickets as much as Gervais. Even Jim Davidson's got a career, for crying out loud.
From the way he gets his beer out, as if to say 'I'm still one of you', to the his jokes about cancer & so on, alll under this tedious cloak of 'irony', with a little nudge & a wink as if to say 'we shouldn't reallly be laughing at this, but we realise that so it's ok', any well adjusted person will sit stony faced & conclude that The Office must have been one of those flukey moments of genius that happened to falll into the lap of a man who is essentiallly talentless.
Karl Pilkington - By: Brendan O. Clarke, 28 Aug 2008 
Ricky Gervais does not cut it as a Stand Up comic. He & his show is contrived & boring.People do make a lot out of his 'offensive' jokes about social taboos. But whereas social terrorists like Chris Morris are entertaining & witty, Gervais routine seems tired, pointless & just plain boring. And as this performance clocks in at 50 minutes, this viewer was left feeling a bit cheated.
This la set from Gervais features an urban myth (the sauce bottle) that was old when I was at school 20 years ago; a story about a bout of diarrhoea & an inappropriate piece of clothing that Spike Milligan was telling decades ago (Spike's story ended with a pink cardigan & a trilby) & the deconstruction of nursery rhymes that look very weak in comparison to his riff on Genesis in Animals.
I loved the Office, & i suspect that Gervais is a one trick pony.
The extras on this dvd feature an interview with Karl Pilkington, & he is much funnier than Gervais.
Hilarious! - By: Stephen Cann, 02 Aug 2007 
This is Ricky's second live stand-up show (recorded at the Palace Theatre, London in 2004), & it's every bit as good as his first. Don't be put off by the title - Ricky doesn't bore us with predictable political postulating here.
It's his usual mix of squirm-in-your seat, observational & goofy humor - & mentioning those unmentionable taboos that other comedians dare not enter in to!
My favorite bit was the sketch about Humpty Dumpty - I've seen the DVD times now, & this bit still makes me laugh till I cry.
Also funny when he mentions his mum thinking his Che Guevara poster was a picture of Robert Lindsay!
But just watch it & see for yourself - a great DVD to see on a Friday night with a friend (or two) & a few drinks!
Boring .. so boring - By: Nick Clarkson, 04 Jul 2007 Who says this guy is the funniest comedian around? Sure the office was good & extras has it's moments but alll the stand up stuff I've seen him do has left me embarrassed for the guy, & that includes his stint on the Diana concert....his character wasn't even funny on the Simpsons!!! Animals was dull & this is dreary..it truly makes me squirm, simpering to an audience does not comedy make.
The guy will obviously only be remembered for his David Brent dance routine .
It's a case of the kings new clothes methinks.
Each to his own... - By: Mr. W. A. Johnson, 15 Feb 2007 ...but alll you cinics need to watch this again with an open mind. So he says the "C" word? So his jokes are pretty risky? If you're easily offended then you should have taken notice of the 18 certificate. This may be un-PC, but it's not malicious
Gervais is not a one trick pony. He is an awesome writer, actor, director, & stand up. An ace of alll trades, reallly. I won't go into too much detail as you've probably already seen this - it's been shown on Channel 4 a number of times since its release in 2004, & provided you don't watch it too often it stays funny unlike a lot of stand up shows. The extras featured on the DVD are sheer brilliance, Karl Pilkington may seem like your average simpleton but he will have you in stitches. And if he doesn't, then you feel too much for the Elephant Man.
And please, don't compare Ricky Gervais to Peter Kay. Peter Kay is funny in his own right, but he relies FAR too much on nostalgic TV, in-jokes, catchphrases & his apparently Irish mother.
"Garlic bread?!"...
...*awkward silence/tumbleweed*
