If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
A lazy idiot’s motto? Perhaps. But in the cruel world of mass market comedy, where we celebrate the laziest of the idiots, sometimes old faithful is better than cutting edge. This is especially true for celebrities with established brands and followings, celebrities like, well, Danny McBride, Jack Black, and Kyle Gass. (Maybe Dane Cook? Come on…maybe?). No matter what your comedic sensibilities, it’s hard to deny “The Roadie with Danny McBride†packs a special sort of power in its anticipatory appeal, its “I already know and love these guys†punch.
Assuming you haven’t started watching already (you definitely should have; what I have to say isn’t all that important compared to this video), here are three reasons to check out this week’s pick. Read them if you dare…
1. Character acting
Nothing in “The Roadie†will shock you. I’ll tell you that up front. It’s Danny McBride being Danny McBride, in all his goddamn southern braggadocio frat-boy glory. Tenacious D predictably follows suit. Jack Black does a lot of hand movements and gyrations and Gass says basically nothing. And you know what? It’s brilliant. Three stars give us what we’ve come to expect and, in doing so, serve up exactly what we want.
2. Mixed media
If the fame factor isn’t enough to make this puppy go viral, the unusual mix of sketch and full length music video will be. “The Roadie’s†unique mashup allows viewers to appreciate it (and quote it) in two forms and, thus, will likely enjoy a high degree of stickiness.
3. Breadth of production
Funny or Die’s known for putting big names in sketches. Usually they’re around 3 minutes long and take place in one room, which is to be expected because it’s just the Internet and celebs are busy, right? Not necessarily. This 7-minute, multi-location opus re-affirms the vitality of web video as the next entertainment frontier…even for the biggest names in comedy.