If you like Dane Cook, you are going to like Brian Regan Standing Up. If you do not like Dane Cook –and there are more of us than friends on his Facebook page—you are probably not going to like this stand-up comedy DVD
The only difference between Cook and Regan is the latter is a little smarter but you only get a glimpse of that in the second half hour.
Brian Regan does stand-up comedy of the mundane and like Dane Cook oversells each joke, repeating the punchline or the set-up three or four times just to make sure you got it. He also milks the set-up sometimes such as in the airline announcements. There is also nothing wrong with mugging for a laugh.
Brian Regan is a rather generic comic: airline announcements, people driving while talking on their cell phone, the airline losing his luggage, greeting cards, and so on and so on. The material is funny enough but this comic brings nothing new to the table.
The second half of Standing Up is better. The humorous sympathy card bit is funny, and parents will enjoy the Dora the Explorer and reading to your kids bits. His stories about being a father are also more original than the norm. Especially original is the bird call bit.
There are a few moments in the second half of this stand-up comedy DVD that suggest this comic is better than what he is showing the audience. Unfortunately, Regan goes back to the used-cars salesman approach to comedy for the rest of the show.
To be honest, if you are just looking for a nice little hour of easy listening stand-up, Brian Regan Standing Up is entertaining. If, however, your taste in comedy has moved beyond peanut butter and jelly or animal crackers, this is a stand-up comedy DVD you will watch absentmindedly. Come to think of it, it’s not a bad way to watch it
Standing Up
Brian Regan
Stand-up comedy DVD
Comedy Central 2007