Comedy Rehab (2009)

You don't necessarily have to be Latino to enjoy the new standup comedy DVD Comedy Rehab. But if you are, it will certainly help. I'm the farthest thing from being Latino — I've never even eaten at Taco Bell! Yet I still found plenty to enjoy.

Comedy Rehab is a standup show taped in Santa Fe, New Mexico featuring four performers — Paul Rodriguez, Gene Pompa, Shayla Rivera and Manny Maldonado. The four comedians all focus heavily on their Latino background, however, they include enough other material in their short sets to appeal to a wider audience.

Paul Rodriguez, the most well known of the bunch opens the show with a set that goes approximately 20 minutes, and then serves as an M.C., introducing the rest of the performers. Rodriguez was voted as one of the top 100 standup comedians of all-time by Comedy Central, and has appeared in films such as Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles and Ali. Anyone who has a Crocodile Dundee movie on their resume is okay in my books.

I have known of Rodriguez for years, but have never seen (nor had the urge to see) him perform. But I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is his act mostly clean, but it was quite funny, particularly a bit making fun of white folks' use of finger quotes to emphasize points. He's right, we're so lame. Rodriguez comes off as a real pro on stage, with the kind of confidence you can only get from performing thousands of times.

Gene Pompa discusses his financial problems, telling the crowd he has just filed for bankruptcy. He jokes that he is not afraid of identity theft as a result, as one such thief tried to return his identity.

Shayla Rivera's set was not a highlight of the show. Chalk that up to me not being a woman, as I couldn't relate to most of her act. Perhaps 50 per cent of the population might enjoy her work.

The show picked up again when Manny Maldonado took the stage. He talks about the recent appearance on Oprah of a transsexual man who was pregnant, and jokes that most Mexican mothers have moustaches, so he doesn't see the big deal. He also laments high gas prices, joking that he finally had to break down and buy a horse.

The bonus features include sets by two other comedians, plenty of backstage access, and bios of all the performers. During Rodriguez's bio, we learn that he has served as a mentor for the younger comedians featured on this disc, and they all credit him for helping them get to this point in their careers.

While the show is a bit uneven, as some of the comedians were sharper than others, “Comedy Rehab” overall is worth taking a gander at.