Product: Billy Connolly: Live in New York (2006)
Rating: 5.0
He's Going Away! Away Over There!
It's funny. One reviewer lambastes this video because it's full of jokes Billy's told before, while another rates it down because it's not the jokes he heard on the tour this DVD is drawn from. Hmm. One person dislikes this video because it's the same old stuff, while another dislikes it because it ISN'T the same old stuff. How much easier if we consider this DVD for itself.Is it funny? Yes. Is it up to the level of humor that propelled Billy to international fame? Yes. Is it springy enough to bear up to multiple viewings? Yes. Would I go out of my way to recommend this DVD to my friends? Yes. What more could you ask for from a comedy DVD?Part of what makes this DVD in particular, and Billy Connolly in general, funny and worth watching, is his willingness to take risks, gamble on the audience's loyalty, and push boundaries. When he's telling a story about his sister and suddenly veers off for several minutes about the jabbering verbosity of opera, he risks that you might get confused and simply stop watching. But it is this risk-taking that has made him so popular for so long, and has kept him creating new generations of fans long after other comics have lapsed into obscurity.One possible problem with this DVD is that there are no added features. No backstage cameras, no interviews, no career retrospectives. For a full DVD price, this seems kind of cheapskate. I'm sure Billy would make some jokes about Scottish stereotypes, but still, DVDs are expensive, and I'd like to get what I'm paying for. Still, as many times as I've watched the performance itself, perhaps I really am getting what I payed for.This is definitely the work of an elder statesman of comedy, bringing the full weight of a long career to bear. It's hard to imagine a young man performing this material. But it's not sentimental or maudlin; Billy has the gravity of a patron saint of humor, but the explosive energy of a much younger man. Serving both as a continuation of a long and storied career and as a good introduction for new fans, this DVD is a treasure, and one you'll watch and watch again. Highly recommended.