Gabriel Iglesias, best known for being a contestant on "Last Comic Standing" isn't a great comedian by any means. The fact that he landed in sixth place on the show should tell you that. However, audiences connect with his brand of humor and he seems to be an overall nice guy, which is why he has gained popularity. But he needs to improve his act if he wants to make it to the big time. With time, practice, and experience Gabriel could become an A-lister. His life stories about his Mariachi father, his sound effects, and celebrity impersonations of George Lopez, George Bush, etc. show real potential.

Unfortunately, Iglesias waters down his act with obnoxious, grating jokes which mostly consist of high pitched screams of child or women voices. That has to stop. My ears can only take so much. He also needs to punch-up his jokes or find fresher material. Jokes about being overweight or re-telling stories of drunken friends are old hat. Every comedian in every state has mouthed similar jokes about these tired topics.

In addition, Gabriel tends to overstate the obvious. I think everyone in the world knows how drunk people act. You don't need to tell us twice.

The DVD

Video:
The 1.78:1 widescreen video had a few scenes of glaring color, but overall I have to say that you can't ask for a better transfer for a comedy special.

Sound: Included on this disk are Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo tracks. The 5.1 track was sublime, but I did get a suspicion that the crowd laughter was played up a bit. Maybe it was my imagination.

Extras: Image was generous enough to offer up extras. First up is a so-so 10 minute Q&A between Gabriel and the audience. The three other extras are performances by opening acts Martin Moreno, Noe Gonzalez, and Armando Cosio. Martin's 5 minute act delivers some chuckles about the audience and strip clubs, but his deliveries are flat and he frequently bursts out with nervous laughter. Noe's 6 minute performance was the weakest as his jokes about his small height were followed by awkward pauses. Finally, the nearly 4 minute routine by Armando garnered a few hearty laughs as he poked fun at ice cream trucks. Even though the opening acts were short, I was very happy to see little known comedians get some recognition via this DVD.

Final Thoughts:
Gabriel Iglesias's special is hit and miss. When he impersonates others and speaks about true life stories, he's funny. When he screams like a woman, he makes me want to eject the disk and toss it out a window. If you are already a fan of Gabriel's comedy, you will no doubt enjoy this special. If you're contemplating checking this disk out, I'd say watch a special by veteran side-splitting comedians like Dave Attell.

Film and television enthusiast Nick Lyons recently had his first book published titled "Attack of the Sci-Fi Trivia." It is available on Amazon.com.