Comedy Central Home Video presents

The Best of Insomniac: Volume 2 (2001)

"Man, you went from social drinker to alchoholic really quick."- Dave Attell

Stars: Dave Attell
Director: various

Manufacturer: WAMO
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for language, inuendo, images
Run Time: 04h:18m:42s
Release Date: 2003-10-21
Genre: comedy

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B	B-	B-	B-	C

 

DVD Review

As someone who has been known to frequent a few drinking establishments in my time I can honestly say that people will do pretty much anything when drunk. Comedy Central and Dave Attell thankfully understood this and thus Insomniac was born. The idea is rather brilliant, take a very funny guy (Attell) and have him walk around larger cities throughout the night and interact with those who either work during the late hours or party, and hilarity often ensues.

In The Best of Insomniac Vol. 2 Dave travels to cities including Las Vegas, New York, and in the best episode, Amsterdam, with his faithful crew, and what he encounters will make most viewers wish they were along for the ride. Attell is a likable comedian who opens each show with a brief bit of stand up comedy before hitting the streets and indulging in such things as parades in Key West and a tortilla factory in Austin, Texas.

The best parts of Insomniac feature the enjoyable rapport that Attell has with the strangers he interviews. His interview with a couple who provide adult entertainment in an Amsterdam theater is priceless in his improvisation as to how he could become involved in their live sex show. Other highlights include the summer solstice in Anchorage, Alaska, and also, during his wild night in Amsterdam, when he offers passersby to spin a "wheel of sin" to decide which deadly sin will be seen next on the show.

Attell offers a very human face to the proceedings with a personality and look that allow him to be more at home with those he encounters on the show. As Attell himself says, "He has a weird look, sort of like Andre Agassi with a drinking problem" and it is that sort of self-deprecating humor that makes him, and the series, so winning.

Rating for Style: B
Rating for Substance: B-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Presented in the same full-frame image that aired originally on television, the transfers are grainy, which makes sense as the series is shot on video and often in darkly-lit settings. The transfers are serviceable given the material.

Image Transfer Grade: B-
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: The Dolby Surround tracks offer nothing more than dialogue throughout, but it is handled nicely with no distortion or dropouts.

Audio Transfer Grade: B- 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu
Scene Access with 10 cues and remote access
1 Feature/Episode commentary by Dave Attell
Packaging: Gladiator style 2-pack
Picture Disc
2 Discs
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: RSDL

Extras Review: The lone extra feature on the disc are several commentary tracks with both Attell and the producers of the show, who are never identified by name. The tracks offer some funny insights and behind-the-scenes stories about things that happen while shooting. The most interesting thing is that the show spends an entire week in a town prior to filming, so the spontaneous nature of the series is nothing more than an illusion.

Extras Grade: C
 

Final Comments

This is a fun set of episodes that are funny no matter how many times you view them. Recommended

Kevin Clemons 2004-01-13