John Pinette – I’m Starvin’

John Pinette
I’m Starvin?!
Image Entertainment 2007
73 minutes

John Pinette (RIP) is the funniest, most generous, and most audience friendly stand-up comic around. He is also a frequent star of the Just For Laughs Montreal International Comedy Festival where all of his shows are immediately sold out. John Pinette I’m Starvin’ is your chance to see this great comic on stage and in the comfort of your own home thanks to The Comedy Network or the Image Entertainment DVD. This must see show airs February 17, 2007 at 10 P.M. and is shown again the next morning at 1:30 A.M. Having seen the DVD of this show I can guarantee seeing it twice is definitely time well spent. If, however, you have Pinette’s I say Nay Nay DVD there is not enough new material here to justify its acquisition.

John Pinette I’m Starving was filmed in July 2006 during this stand-up comedian’s sold out shows at the Imperial Theatre in Montreal. We were there opening night and I must have been the only audience member who thought the show was less than brilliant. The Comedy Network version of this show is somewhat different than what I saw opening night (the distracting stage dressing is gone) and certainly lives up to what I expected in the first place.

In I’m Starvin Pinette is back to stand-up comedy after a long appearance on Broadway as the lead in Hairspray. The first part of the I’m Starvin’ special on The Comedy Network is about his experience as a woman. This is really good and original observational comedy with Pinette’s usual autobiographical put down.

Of course the man who yells Show Me The Buffet!  also has a lot of material about slimming down and food. New to I’m Starvin is the material about the many and various personal trainers who made a brief appearance in John Pinette’s life. There are also many funny comedy routines about the various diets and eating plans the comic has tried. All this is, of course, brilliant stuff. Anyone who has ever tried to swallow Atkins diet low carb bread will probably write down his bit on the experience and repeat it at work.

John Pinette I’m Starvin also features some classic material about various buffets and the great Sonna A Formato. Pinette fans who of course already own his Show Me The Buffet CD and his ugly-ass cover comedy DVD I Say Nay Nay will still enjoy his Comedy Network special as some of the familiar material has been changed or expanded a bit and some of this special is new stuff. The bit on turnips and the origins of turnips is a prime example of really good new material. This makes up for the repeat Free Wiwy and water park bits but not enough to justify having both DVDs in your collection unless you are a true blue fan.

John Pinette I’m Starvin’! special on the Comedy Network, February 17 at 10 P.M. and February 18 at 1:30 A.M. is must see comedy television. Sensitive souls should not worry too much about this comedy show by the way as this is a clean stand-up comic.

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