Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity

Humor is one of the most subjective things in the world. One man's funny comment is another man's offensive remark. That is why it is very rare when a comedian achieves broad and varid success. Such is the case of Jeff Dunham and his famous(infamous?) cadre of puppets, who have created one of the most recognazible acts in show business and three of the most heavily rotated specials on Comedy Central. Needless to say, in my humble opinion, Jeff Dunham is VERY funny.Now available ob Blu Ray disc, Arguing With Myself, Spark of Insanity and The Jeff Dunham Christmas Special are filled with plenty of laughs and funny moments one will enjoy again and again. I tend to buy very little discs of this type mainly because after repeated viewings, the material (understandibly) loses it's punch. However after many, and in some instances consecutive, times in my BD player, I have to say I find them all still quite funny. This particular disc (Spark of Insanity) features the debut (on TV at least) of Achmed, the Dead Terrorist, who has become apparently(by the number of viewings on YouTube) the most famous of Dunham creations. For my money however, you can't beat Peanut. I like him for the same reason I like Eric Cartman: They have absolutely no inhibitions. No "edit" button. Jeff Dunham's id if you will. Watching Dunham react to what Peanut says is always funny. If it sounds like I'm convinced that Dunham and Walter, Peanut, Bubba J.and the others are completely seperate, thinking entities, then you can draw a pretty good picture of just how good Jeff Dunham really is. It's not just that he is a good ventriloquist(in that regard, I have seen better), it's the fact that all his puppets, even Jose Jalapeno(on a steek...) have clear, defined characters. Watching these on TV instead of live gives you an advantage over the live crowd as the various camera angles add to the effect of Jeff and his subjects being seperate personalities.Of course, these being Blu-Ray discs, they look AWSOME, especially compared to the DVD's and TV. For me this was a must-buy and I highly enjoy all of his material so far.WARNINGWhen buying these discs, I was tempted to buy the three-pack that contains all three titles. I was shocked to see it costs $80+. Seeing the individual prices of each disc, it didn't add up. Putting each disc seperately in the shopping cart gives youa total of forty-something dollars. ALMOST HALF THE COST OF THE SET!!! So beware and shop smartly.

Great shipping. Funny movie. Have watched time and time again!

This is a good and funny movie.

He is awesome !!

My wife loves Jeff Dunham's comedy. In fact, she even went to see him live. I've purchased all of his DVDs for her. He is a funny comedian, and it's clear that he's worked hard at the art of ventriloquism. In fact, he's the best ventriloquist I've seen on television. I saw him on a talk show for the first time about 14 years ago. Back then, he only had Walter, Peanut, and Jose Jalapeno.I don't like some of the one star reviews on here because they're very negative and pretentious. To call Jeff Dunham's comedy low brow is not quite appropriate, unless you're his competition or a seasoned, successful observational comedian. To imply that people who like Jeff Dunham don't have brains is solely attempting to start an online flame war. Don't use the one star reviews on Amazon as a reference point for judging Dunham's comedy.Dunham uses the puppets and the characteristics of the puppets in a non-traditional form of observational comedy, in a world where everyone else is trying to be Dane Cook (who is trying to be Mitch Hedberg), or to reference an earlier observational comedian, Jerry Seinfeld. With Peanut (and sometimes Walter), Dunham primarily makes fun of himself and the other puppets. It's almost a form of insult comedy.Some people have an open mind about comedy, and can understand and appreciate someone like George Carlin or Lenny Bruce as well as Jeff Dunham and Larry the Cable Guy. Also, as an aside, Larry the Cable Guy is much more easy to appreciate once you realize he is portraying a dumb redneck stereotype (more on stereotypes below). Personally, I like Monty Python's Flying Circus and other sketch comedy shows, like Upright Citizens Brigade, in lieu stand-up comedy. That's a matter of personal taste and not what's generally funny to the masses. Dunham is generally funny to the masses, unless the masses are so pretentious and self-important that they can't accept simple humor...in which case, they aren't the masses."Spark of Insanity" starts with a monologue about a Prius similar to the lotion monologue from "Arguing with Myself." The Prius, and it being a gay car, is a theme throughout the show, just like the lotion was in the previous show. Contrary to what some people say, the monologue is funny, but the humor is subtle and slow. It's a setup for a theme, just like in all of his performances. A successful comedian will reference early established themes throughout a stand-up act because the audience, like any large group of readers or listeners, relies on primacy (the things heard first) and recency (the things heard just now). If you connect the two, you can hold attention longer and it helps everything flow. It's just like a theme in a novel.Dunham plays on homosexuality and some racial stereotypes. I think that the people who take offense at this only do so because Jeff Dunham is a white comedian. It's not Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, or Carlos Mencia utilizing the racial stereotypes, so it must not be alright, right?Dunham takes relatively gentle jabs at stereotypes when compared to these other comedians. Also, Dunham has white stereotypes (Bubba Jay as a redneck) to balance other racial stereotypes, as well as age stereotypes (Walter as a curmudgeon). When Dunham plays on homosexuality, it's only outing himself as a possible homosexual regarding Prius ownership, or the chemical analysis machine sometimes mistaking lotion for plastic explosives after a swab is taken from Peanut's butt in the Santa Anna airport. It's alright to employ stereotypes, as long as you're making fun of everyone equally...at least, that's what Carlos Mencia says.To be overly sensitive to racial stereotypes in comedy is to not be open minded about what can be funny. Stereotypes exist because people have demonstrated them and continue to do so. Some aspects of every stereotype are comedic. To exploit those stereotypes is alright, as long as you employ some portion of self deprecation along with them and don't keep targeting one particular group negatively or express intense dislike or hatred of one group. To be offended or feel uncomfortable when stereotypes are referenced probably means you haven't reached a level of understanding minority groups as equals instead of groups that should be treated specially or differently.I think Dunham balances stereotypes very well, and overall, he is not offensive. He is an equal opportunity mocker, just like every comedian should be. Every group of people has quirks, and to exploit those gently, taking light jabs at multiple groups, is to appeal to the largest demographic possible.All of this being said, I give "Spark of Insanity" four stars because it is very funny, but it's not perfectly aligned with my personal taste. I applaud the recent efforts that the monologues show towards building his solo stand-up capabilities and demonstrating that he has room for growth as a comedian (even after almost 20 years) by establishing themes in his performances. It's somewhat new ground for him, and to view it negatively is a waste of time. It might be trite for another, solo stand-up comedian to do it, but it's a welcome change in lieu of starting an act with a puppet on his hand or at the ready.If you remotely like Jeff Dunham and want to see his comedy more than once, I would recommend buying this product. It's cheap and effective.

If you have a difficult or stressful day at work or at home, sit down and plop this dvd in the player, get a bag of popcorn, a softdrink (or your favorite beverage), sit back and relax, and prepare to be entertained!!Mr. Dunham and his cast of characters will have you rolling on the floor. Mr. Dunham is undoubtedly, one of the most talented individuals I have had the opportunity and pleasure to watch (as a side note, I am not generally a "comedy" watcher). From Walter to Achmed, Peanut to Jose on a Stick, the vocal characterizations, puppet character movements, banter and obvious talent of Mr. Dunham would receive high marks (and probably five stars) from the legendary ventriloquist and great team of Mr. Edgar Bergan and his sidekick of Charlie McCarthy!So do yourself (and your family - I recommend age 14+ for children) a favor and obtain this dvd! ! ! ! !

He is versatile and extremely funny. Not a repetua of vulgarity like a lot of comedians. Defiantly not a children's type of guy so be aware of this. He breaches all subjects so don't get offended. His act is defiantly hilarious.