NoFace for Film

NoFace for Film rating: 6 out of 7

Dane Cook is one of those stand-up comedians that seem to divide people: they either love him or hate him. Those that hate him think that Cook panders to a witless, drunken frat boy crowd, using the same tired material many others have done so before him. In fact, Cook has been accused of downright stealing other comics’ material, an accusation that he vehemently denies.

On the other hand, those who love Cook do so because of his delivery. It’s energetic, even manic, with a lot of slapstick and sound effects thrown in. And like other successful comedians, Cook’s material often consists of taking mundane observations that we all take for granted (like the “Kool Aid” commercials) and present them in a humorous light.

I happen to be one of those who like -no, love- Cook. No, I’m not in a fraternity. I’m not even a male. I just find him very, very funny, and I thought that Vicious Circle was a riot.

Dane Cook’s Vicious Circle originally aired on HBO and features Cook performing at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston in front of a packed crowd of 18,000. However, while the HBO version was only one and a half hours long, the Vicious Circle 2-disk DVD contains not only the original broadcast, but the complete, DANEgerous version, which has an extra half hour of material. If you choose to watch the DANEgerous version, Cook’s Superfinger logo occasionally appears on screen, marking when unaired material begins and ends. There is also a trailer promoting Cook’s Tourgasm, which I thought was actually pretty boring.

I tell ya, Cook is very, very funny. He touches upon subjects like the occasional need of a good cry; his first time with a girl; why women always win fights against their boyfriends; and his argument with an Atheist (Cook is Catholic).

Originally, I looked for quotes from the video, but I feel that one would get a better feeling of what to expect if I showed an actual clip from Vicious Circle. This clip shows one of the funniest routines, originally aired on HBO. The DANEgerous version is a few minutes longer.

Admittedly, a few of Cook’s routines run a little too long and become boring. One that comes to mind is his “B&E” story, in which he tells the story of him breaking and entering in someone’s house when he was a teenager. It’s a funny story, but it went on for far too long. It’s probably why it wasn’t included in the HBO broadcast. Cook sometimes goes off tangent in his routines, which are often funny, but sometimes unnecessary.

Nevertheless, Dane Cook’s Vicious Circle is hysterical. You’ll relate to many of his stories, and you’ll laugh to the point of tears.

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