Ricky Gervais: Out of England (2008)

Having watched the British version of The Office, and HBO's Extras, it came as no surprise to me that Ricky Gervais' stand-up special was absolutely hilarious. Gervais goes on for just over an hour on subjects that it are almost entirely controversial or inappropriate to joke about. He riffs on charity, cancer, children's books and gays, and his timing and delivery are perfect throughout. If you are not the type of person that thinks jokes about people dying of horrible diseases or are in fact actually dying of one right now, you might not want to watch this special. If you are the type of person who sees comedy for what it is, making light of almost any situation in order to make people laugh and ultimately feel better, you will really enjoy Out of England. The funniest moment of Gervais' special is just before his encore when he goes over a pamphlet handed out in the early '90s in England that offers homosexuals alternatives to having anal sex in order to avoid contracting AIDS. Again, if this at the outset is not something that sounds funny to you, maybe don't watch this special. If you are not bothered from the get-go by this topic, you will find this five minute riff hysterical. The only negative thing I have to say about Gervais is a complaint that I typically have in reference to British comedians. I find that generally, they tend to linger on a subject for longer than is necessary, or sometimes even funny. The intro and finale of a specific sequence of jokes are always really funny, but from time to time the middle drags, leading the audience to wonder why the comedian has not yet moved on. However, I believe that is a cultural difference between Americans and the British, and is something that most comedians from across the pond do. My wife did not watch the special with me, but she would have liked it. I really enjoyed this hour of my life, and am hoping to watch a bit more of Gervais' stuff soon. I give Ricky Gervais: Out of England 3 and a half stars.