Post by StevePulaski on Aug 18, 2017 21:15:07 GMT -5
Brad Paisley's Comedy Rodeo (2017)
Directed by: Jay Chapman
Directed by: Jay Chapman
Nate Bargatze, Jon Reep, Sarah Tiana, Brad Paisley, Mike E. Winfield, and John Heffron.
Rating: ★★
Country good-boy Brad Paisley has made a career out of having fun and not taking himself, or his genre, too seriously. He's a free-wheeler who has a helluva talent for strumming a six-string and making infectious songs like "High Life," "Online," or "Celebrity;" his discography includes Grammy-winning albums and singles, critically acclaimed releases, and a lot of memorable music that certainly stands up as some of the best country music of the last decade in my opinion.
One thing, however, he won't be remembered for is his new Netflix comedy special, Braid Paisley's Comedy Rodeo. Originally stamped with a more genial, downhome title Brad Paisley and Friends, the hour-long, direct-to-streaming title is like a modern day version of Hee Haw, featuring southern-centric humor spouted by opening act comedians, some with the potential to go big, others more fit to perform on the predictable string of Brad Paisley "rodeos" in the future. The result is a small sample size of some very average performers with little cohesion and a big question mark on the direction of the entire release. At least we didn't have to buy a ticket to see this unlike Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show.
The cast of comedians is Nate Bargatze, John Heffron, Sarah Tiana, Mike E. Winfield, and Jon Reep, and each get roughly five to eight minutes to perform in between some Brad Paisley interludes in the form of guitar riffs and wisecracks. The best stuff of Comedy Rodeo comes after the perfunctory opening scene of David Hasselhoff allowing Paisley to take KIT to the show last minute in the form of Paisley belting out revised lyrics to his songs that are a bit dirtier and more timely. He's such a natural performer; a real charmer who can command an audience and sometimes makes you forget just how daring he can be due to his amiable smile.
The only all-out bomb, I dare say, is Bargatze whose act is stiff and dawdles around any kind of overarching point. Bargatze rambles about hunting and wanting a chicken breast from a restaurant where the chicken itself was brave enough to kill himself. It's all strange and shallow material that's nicely rebounded by Heffron, the next act, who does pretty well with a fast-talking routine that tackles marital scuffles, texting lingo, and the perplexing nature of human beings in just a couple minutes but all very smoothly. Sarah Tiana pops in after a brief duet with Paisley to give us a tired rendition of the spinster southern girl, who at least finishes strong with a monologue about the myth of "being ready" for something as simple as a dinner party or as big as having a child.
Our closers are the performers with the most potential. Mike E. Winfield gently reminds us of Eddie Murphy's nimble personality on-stage as well as his natural ability to liven up a room. He has great enthusiasm that's partially wasted on a long-winded, male-minded jab of retrieving something for his wife that's "never there" despite her urging that said item is indeed where she claims. Our final act is Jon Reep, a bearded, flannel-clad embodiment of the hick stereotype and evidently damn proud of it. He has a voice that's fit for the more rugged, Hank William III-side of Nashville and simply seems excited to be in the presence of a live, laughing audience, let alone Brad Paisley. Too bad he wastes his time to shine on a familiar retread of memories of finding his father's porn stash and subsequently being reprimanded in an unconventional way.
Out of all the performers, Heffron, Winfield, and Reep show the most promise, but no one stands out as more than just being average. I think part of the problem is the central mood, which never commits to being traditionally vulgar or squeaky clean, and the performers, at times, noticeably struggle in terms of discerning how far to go. The vulgarities get the attention, but you're also dealing with a crowd very accustomed to the sensibilities of primetime entertainment. This renders Brad Paisley's Comedy Rodeo as little more than a by-the-numbers, throwaway special with kiddie-pool depth, notwithstanding names with a wee bit of potential to transcend something so bargain bin.
Directed by: Jay Chapman.