Comedians who transition into sitcoms invariably have to dull or mute what makes them funny in the first place. Think about it – the faithful TV nation couldn't handle weeknights littered with profanity, caustic observations about humanity and stinging commentary about the way we live. Therefore, writers and directors are brought in to soften, dull or sometimes sand off the edges that make stand-up funnymen famous to begin with.

You want examples? Rodney Carrington's routines are reliably blue, but he's found a sitcom home; Damon Wayans produced one of the funniest HBO stand-up specials I've ever seen but has toned it down to the point that he's starring in Hanes commercials; Bob Saget is an almost legendarily filthy comic (check out The Aristocrats if you don't believe me) but he warmed America's hearts with both "Full House" and "America's Funniest Home Videos" – even George Lopez, whose cutting, hilarious diatribes about all the myriad ways Latinos live life are laced with profanity and casual bigotry, dialed it down to achieve success as only the third Latino in history to star in a network sitcom (Desi Arnaz and Freddie Prinze are the other two, if you're curious).

Those who delight in the relatively safe humor of "The George Lopez Show" might be a little surprised at the free-form hilarity of his debut stand-up special, George Lopez: Why You Crying? Originally aired on Showtime in early 2005 (as well as appearing, in a much-bleeped form, on Comedy Central), the hour-long special, which features 20 extra minutes of material here, is loosely based upon Lopez's memoir of the same name. Over the course of 80 minutes, Lopez not only recalls the clear-eyed satire of Richard Pryor (a Lopez idol) but even recalls elements of Bill Cosby's Himself concert film.

Racial, ethnic, familial or observational – Lopez ranges freely between various topics, highlighting Latino quirks (particularly amusing is his thoughts on Latino mothers "beating" their kids) and talking extensively about his coming-of-age and even the explosive growth of Latino culture. The only false note Lopez strikes in 80 minutes is the somewhat overly sentimental finale ("Tell your kids to dream and dream big ...") that brings the laughter down a notch. Otherwise, this is a consistently entertaining, fairly offensive and laugh-filled concert film that just may have you in tears.

The Video:

George Lopez: Why You Crying? is presented in 1.33 fullscreen, as originally broadcast on Showtime and Comedy Central. The image is sharp and clean, free of major defects and occasionally suffers from a moire pattern surrounding the bright, multi-colored spotlights. It doesn't happen too often and doesn't detract from the image.

The concert is offered in crisp, clear Dolby 2.0 stereo, as originally broadcast. The laughter never overwhelms Lopez's dialogue and there's even an occasional thump from the subwoofer when Lopez throws his mic to the stage – which happens more than a few times. A nice, bright mix that doesn't suffer from distortion or dropout.

There's very little in the way of substantial bonus material included; the main attraction is a 13-minute fullscreen interview with Lopez, obviously conducted well after the filming of Why You Crying? It's a fairly open and revealing chat conducted by a heard-but-never-seen interviewer. Interestingly, he defends his occasionally less-than-flattering depiction of his people as well as revealing that much of his comedy is born from quite a lot of pain and dysfunction. It's not long but it is compelling. Also on board are trailers for Airplane: Don't Call Me Shirley Edition, Tommy Boy: Holy Schnike Edition, Latham Entertainment Presents and Chappelle's Show: Season 2.

It's a far cry from the safe, relatively inoffensive humor of "The George Lopez Show" but George Lopez: Why You Crying? is an entertaining, hilarious 80 minutes that should appeal to fans of caustic comics like Richard Pryor or Martin Lawrence. Recommended.