Varying Degrees of Hilarity

Ricky Gervais is one silly, giggly man. The Office and Extras are unbelievably great and while his Out of England stand up special is very funny, it also highlights his hammy, self-indulgent side.

Indeed. I gave it a 5 due to the ghastly sight of his overblown ego parading around the stage and laughing at his own jokes as if it were the first time he had heard them.

I think that's just the way he is. In the bonus footage for The Office and Extras you can see what a goon he is, cracking himself up and barely making it through a line reading without doing a spit take or exploding in laughter. I find it endearing.

And what a daring comedian he is tackling uncharted comedy territories such as penis size and nursery rhymes.

True, he's not really breaking any new ground but he's inherently hilarious and knows how to tell a good tale. His enjoyment of himself and his material is catching.

I much preferred Patton Oswalt's Werewolves and Lollipops.

So you prefer his explorations of the taboo subjects of bad horror films and and small town clowns to Ricky Gervais' discussions of more mundane and cliched topics?

I guess all comedians fish from the same general pool but even when attacking common comedy fodder he finds a new way to handle it and provides fascinating observations on old chestnuts like America's love of overeating and close minded doofuses. His bit on the miracle of childbirth is enough to garner a 10 for this masterpiece.

I actually loved this one too. I was crying with laughter more often than not and completely fell in love with Patton during the course of this DVD.

On the other side of the comedy coin, there's Zach Galifianakis who is part of the same comedian crew as Patton but he has way more facial hair. And he's not funny. Not at all. At least, not on the Live From the Purple Onion disc. It was horrifying and I turned it off after 10 minutes.

You have no respect for the craft. You probably just didn't "get" him and needed to put in some more time on this one.

I'm pretty sure I did "get" him but watching someone who appears to be half asleep and half drunk sit at a piano and tinkle out some notes while telling really lame one liners isn't my idea of comedy heaven. The interspersed bits of him driving around and the interview with his "brother" didn't add anything good to this mess. His joke about the guy who gets his 7s and 9s mixed up was atrocious and the opposite of funny.

How wrong you are. His beard alone is worth a few laughs and his drunk guy at a piano shtick is comedy gold. I gave this an 8 as I was rolling and spinning with delight during the brief time you allowed this to play. Who knows what genius was lurking in the later moments of his routine?

I didn't have the stomach to find out. He seemed so self satisfied and in love with himself that one less fan isn't going to matter and I have better things to do than watch such a lame performance. I just don't understand why so many people seem to be in love with this man and his giant beard.

Would you prefer a Carrot Top special next time?

Perhaps.