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Jeffrey Ross: No Offense - Live from New Jersey
R1 - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Stevie McCleary & Noor Razzak (30th November 2008). |
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The Show
 Dear Jeffery Ross, No apology necessary, as no offence taken. I mean, I know you tried to be offensive, by roasting several people and making fun of anything that popped into your brain…but as you failed totally and without any sign of success, no need to apologise. For that. What I would like is an apology for is the 70 odd minutes that passed by where I apparently forgot I was supposed to be laughing. Or smiling. Isn’t it strange that I didn’t smile for over an hour? I’m such a chirpy individual – isn’t that weird? Must have been something I ate. Or something I watched on DVD. Look, you’re clearly a nice guy. Even a guy that I’d be happy to hang out with, you seem that friendly. So, of course, I don’t want to be overly rude or anything in regards to you or your comedy special. I’ve never seen your work as the Comedy Central Roast Master, although I hear it’s very good. I understand you’ve built up a good fan base, this is good and I’m sure it’s deserved. But. I don’t find you that funny. I know, I know…it’s hard to hear. And I’m sure my opinion means less than nothing to you. I’m not sure if it should mean anything, as you’ve got your fans and probably a ton of cash…that’s all anyone really needs. But certain things need to be said, and sometimes these things are said by me. It wasn’t that funny. And putting “that” in the previous sentence was me being generous. The jokes were tired and obvious, simplistic to the point of high school guidance counsellors’ brains. I also know that quite a few of the gags and routines have appeared in other places quite often…no, this is not intended to infer you have stolen any material, just that the aforementioned material is so basic and generic that it’s a miracle it hasn’t also popped up in everything from Penthouse to the Bible. Not that it was bad by any stretch of the imagination. It just didn’t amuse or entertain. I am quite indifferent about the whole thing. It passed the time without provoking any reaction of any kind. Sadly, like a quadriplegic hooker, you just didn’t do anything for me. Complete indifference from something designed purely to make me laugh – what will they come up with next? I have to say – it was nice when you broke from talking about New Jersey (yes, I realise this was your first ever show in your home state, it’s okay to talk about it a bit) and talking about weird sexual encounters (yes, I do realise that sex is generally funny, and airports molesting your Aunt seems like a good idea) and brought those two audience members on stage to play piano. Then you did that little thing where you read out some poems to the impromptu music…it was cute. Definitely the highlight of this mild entertainment special. I could handle seeing some more of that kind of thing, as the average person hardly ever gets a chance to shine like that and the beauty of true comedy is in those little unrehearsed moments. That’s where the magic happens. As it was, the time sure did pass quickly, so this wasn’t as laborious as it could have been – for which I am very grateful, your likeable manner helped in this endeavour – but I so wish it had more than just a way to pass the time. It had the potential, just not the true grit. Like I said; you seem like a great guy. And it’s been great getting to know you. If you could just try to bring something funny for me next time, that’d be much appreciated. I’ll be happy to give you another chance. No offence, S.J. McCleary (Reviewer)
Video
Presented in an anamorphic ratio of 1.78:1 this new feature was filmed on digital media (probably HD, but I can't be sure). The image is sharp and crisp, with vibrant colors and deep blacks. Although there are some jagged edges which pop up at times, overall it's a decent presentation of this TV special. The image looks nice and dynamic considering it's just a guy on a stage with occasional cuts to the audience.
Audio
A single audio track is included in English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track. The feature is basically dialogue driven, which is clear and distortion free. The audio track lacks depth but it feature a nice mix which does place you amid the crowd as they laugh and applaud. It's not a dynamic track that will blow you away, after all it's a stand-up special and it presents that fairly well. There are no optional subtitles available on this disc.
Extras
Shout! has released this stand-up performance with an audio commentary and a featurette. Below is a closer look at these supplements. The feature audio commentary is with comedian Jeffery Ross and the director Jay Karas discussing the show…not much here as there’s really nothing to discuss, other than the repetition of the phrase “This joke kills” and “I like this joke but it never kills.” Probably the weakest commentary I’ve ever heard. Again, they seem like nice guys but they don’t have anything of interest to share with the viewer. "Roastmaster Comes Home" featurette runs for 13 minutes 48 seconds: essentially a glorified intro to the show, the camera follows Ross as he arrives back in his home town, visits his old school, and holds a Q&A/stand-up session about his younger years. Of note; bananas decrease blood pressure, which helps with taking the insurance company’s test before the show. There you go, you may have just learnt something new. You can actually watch this before the feature or as an extra from the menu.
Overall
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