The first Christian Finnegan stand-up comedy DVD, Au Contraire, certainly has class.
Finnegan makes an effort to dress up his show and DVD; this is a refreshing touch in a street clothes world. Finnegan (who looks like Kevin Bacon used to look), already a (pretty) solid comic, is a bit better when you can see him perform his stand-up. Not that he does anything special to visually support his jokes but he has a presence that makes them a bit funnier.
Of course, some of the routines like Rabbit Ears and High Five are better on DVD than CD as they are strongly based on their physical support. The qualifier “pretty” solid is my fault alone. I really believe certain routines on Au Contraire like the Christmas lingerie bit, Rabbit Ears, Rigorous Certification Process, and especially the naturist bit hint at more developed material than what Finnegan gives his audience. In both cases, the stand-up ends with a sex joke when there was not only more to the material but a more original ending to it too. The Telltale Fart is funny but not up to what Finnegan can do.
Also fun to watch on this stand-up comedy DVD is the long bit on video games. It segues into relationship comedy and the possible link between both. Here again I felt the comic had not pushed the routine to its very best. The Murder tree and the attempted murderer v murderer bit is excellent as is Hard Reboot (with the usual reservation).
Christian Finnegan is, to be fair, a solid stand-up comedy DVD. He ends with a bit about having an impact. I think he could and doesn’t have to go through such a complicated process as Enrique Must Be Stopped.
Special features on this Christian Finnegan DVD include audient-vision, a separate track where the camera is focused on an audience member as he watches the show and a pip has Finnegan and the guy commenting. It is an interesting idea and kind of fun to watch for a while in part because the guy is kind of funny too. Other features are shorts and an original credits roll where the comic mentions Kambi Crews a few times.
Au Contraire
Christian Finnegan
Stand-up Comedy DVD
Warner Brothers Nashville 2009
83 minutes
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