Review of Denis Leary: The Complete Denis Leary

Introduction

More renowned for his acting (where he picked up an Emmy nomination in the US for his role in `Rescue Me`, a show he also co-created), it`s easy to forget Denis Leary`s beginnings lie with the most traditional of comedy conventions - ye olde stand-up.

A tempestuous, Irish-American libertarian, his brand of biting comedy began on MTV with a skit where he ploughed into R.E.M and the pretentiousness of the top-selling band - the humble beginnings of a comedy career where no topic was off limits, where no person was exempt from becoming joke-fodder.

Leary`s two filmed stand-up specials, `No Cure For Cancer` and `Lock N Load` are presented here on a 2-disc Collector`s Edition.

Video

Presented in full frame 1.33:1, the quality here is passable.

No Cure For Cancer, with it`s small venue chic and grimy atmosphere, has a much darker aesthetic. While perfectly watchable, the transfer here is barely more than VHS quality. This is particularly visible when there are credits or captions on-screen, showing off some coloured noise and general murkiness.

Lock N Load, the second of the two discs, comes off a little better. Originally broadcast on HBO in the states, it`s seemingly a direct transfer of the analogue broadcast source. Everything`s a little brighter, the colours more vivid, as our man Leary finds himself with a religious theme stage backdrop. Better, but still nothing spectacular.

Audio

Dolby Digital 2.0

No bells and whistles, but perfectly fine for a stand-up DVD.

Features

A 10 minute making-of featurette accompanies `No Cure For Cancer`, revealing some insights into the difficulties of putting the show together and it`s original run at Edinburgh. There`s also a music video for `The A**hole Song`

Lock N Load features a music promo for Leary`s `Love Barge`.

Conclusion

Kicking off in impressive style with a hearty rendition of the infamous `The A**hole Song`, you get the impression you`re in for a ballsy stand-up treat when you slip 1992`s `No Cure For Cancer` in your DVD player. Well, that would be an oversell.

Leary`s comedy patter would be much better suited to the fella down the pub who makes everyone laugh after a few drinks. His jokes are the very definition of hit and miss. When they really hit, out come the belly-laughs. When they miss, it`s usually a zinger well wide of the mark, as seen by the occasional silence and even the odd gasp of disagreement from the audience.

To his credit, Leary is a man possessed on stage; full of anger and energy in equal measure, he projects his funnies with such force, the back row were probably slick with spittle.

`No Cure For Cancer` is the better show. Tackling cigarettes, drugs, bell bottoms, cocaine snorting Jews, whiskey faces and the stairmaster, Leary`s performance here has the edge - the writing is a little sharper. Still, he`s not quite sure when a bit has outstayed it`s welcome, hanging on some of the lesser jokes a little too long. A cigarette in one hand, a beer in another, and a microphone somewhere in there, it`s here Leary proves he`s a great showman. No doubt why he`s a talented actor with over 40 films to his credit. The fluidity of his live comedy just isn`t there to back it up, in these shows at least.

HBO`s `Lock N Load` from 1997 follows the same route, but cleaned up a little. There`s less swearing, less ciggies and the beer has been replaced with some unknown beverage in a polystyrene cup. Leary tears through Michael Flately, Starbucks, Fat Americans, piercings and his own kids along his tirade of a madman, but here, he misses wildly too often - at times sinking into buffoonery. The audience are clearly in disagreement, though, as they lap up every morsel Leary throws their way. Originally a live TV broadcast? You don`t say. The saving grace on this disc is Lock N Load, a slick monologue to music that lifts the end of the show into a biting social commentary.

Leary clearly has comedy in his veins. `Rescue Me`, and it`s precursor, `The Job`, are wickedly funny TV. And that`s where a lot of his talent lies. This set shows he was never destined to be a leader in American Stand-up.

The DVD package itself isn`t something worth hollerin` about either.

A good buy for Denis Leary fans/obsessives/stark raving loony stalker-types no doubt, but pretty much the definition of the term `meh` for everyone else.

Bill Hicks fans most definitely should not apply.