Ralphie May (1972 – 2017) follows two solid CDs with Prime Cut, his third release: a stand-up comedy CD / DVD set that, unfortunately, is not quite as good as Just Correct and Girth of a Nation.
It’s not that Ralphie May has changed his style but more that the last half of Prime Cuts feels a little unpolished and consequently May does not sound as confident in his stuff. This is most evident on this DVD / CD set when the comic goes for two or three or four more jokes than the premise could really take.
Still, Ralphie May Prime Cut is quite enjoyable and even if it is the same material, the DVD is more fun than the CD. The opening bit Mullet Hunter is pretty good but the Flip-Flops routine shows May can find new and original sources of mirth. It is also one of the bits that feels just right in terms of how much material May gets out of the premise. Celebrity Fit Club is a lesser moment of fat guy at the gym jokes. The Food Channel is one of those routines that does go on a little longer than it should.
I am a little annoyed with the Being Right vs. Being Happy routine as its premise is a Jeff Allen standard: You can be right, or you can be happy. Still, May has a more adult audience take on this.
One of the routines that really does feel long is Living With Tivo: it is one of those moments on Ralphie May Prime Cut where you get the feeling a couple more months on the road would have allowed the comic to tweak this routine and make it tighter. It has a few good moments of relationship comedy but May explains the material way too much. The same can be said of Lie Every Day and, don’t pardon the pun, May milks Boobs a bit too much.
The Couture routine on Ralphie May Prime Cut is another pretty good routine that could have used a bit of weathering. I did enjoy May’s advice to women in Favorite Gifts while Silence is a track a guy should play to his girlfriend although he will end up sleeping on the couch for a long, long time.
Ralphie May Prime Cut DVD / CD set is pretty decent but not as tight as past Ralphie May comedy CDs.
Prime Cut
Ralphie May
Stand-up comedy DVD / CD
Warner Brothers Nashville / Jack Records 2007
60 minutes
Related Posts
- 79DVD / CD combo. Same show but DVD is better.