Jeffrey James Binney – Once Is Enough

If like me you are a fan of long-form humorous storytelling you are going to appreciate Once Is Enough by Jeffrey James Binney.  If Binney appeared on Oprah is story would be labelled as inspirational and other sentimental pap. Here, comedy download albums and CDs are judged on the material and the comic’s ability to deliver it. James Binney Once Is Enough is half straightforward stand-up and half biographical narrative with humorous moments; the mix is just right, making this a solid release

The second half or so of Once Is Enough is the story of a 6’2 340 pound guy who, distraught by his mother’s death at 58 from complications from being morbidly obese, decides to do an ultramarathon or run no less than 100 miles. Binney has two stories about running an ultramarathon with for some reason a couple of biographical interludes. The placement of these interludes before the second ultramarathon stories makes sense because the audience needs a light break between two rather emotional stories but the interludes themselves, about where babies come from and his experience castrating pigs, do not quite work. Fortunately, the second ultramarathon story makes up for it and provides for a good ending to the show.

Anybody into running will appreciate and relate to  the running segments and all of the inside information Binney provides. Fans of more standard stand-up comedy will get caught up in the story itself and enjoy the embarassing moments in it.

The first half of Once Is Enough is straightforward stand-up material about Binney, his weight issues, his mother, and becoming vegan. It may sound banal as a list in a review but those segments are very good and provide the characterization necessary for the audience to follow the artist into his longer stories.

I am not sure Once Is Enough by Jeffrey James Binney is the kind of comedy download you keep on a rotation for a long time but it is one you want to share and encourage other stand-up fans to get. That is an very odd conclusion but there you go.

Once Is Enough
Jeffrey James Binney
DVD, CD, comedy download Album
Once Is Enough Film 2017
53 minutes

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