DVD Movie Review: Dane Cook: Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden

In Dane Cook: Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden, Dane Cook proudly displays his brand of stand up comedy for a crowd of fans that are absolutely fanatical. His performance was the next step in his comedy career, one that he debated and sought approval for from his family. And it was a wise decision indeed, because his routine was largely a success, and the ecstatic fans will keep him in the spotlight for years to come.

Dane Cook's routine is continually on the verge of real-life situations fused with comedy elements, exaggerated for flair, and just from panning around the audience and catching their reactions, some of his material can be interpreted as either wildly raunchy or disgustingly crass. But for the most part, his fans love and accept the direction he heads in, and with his Madison Square Garden performance he has sculpted a great deal of hilarity out of situations that are really quite no-nonsense. Finding the humor behind the most serious of events is perhaps his area of expertise.

His skit contains familiar allusions to previous and recognizable jokes, including his sketch on someone "defiling the coat rack", and references to his "chief/buddy/Gaylord" joke. New bits include swearing on his unborn child over ice cream, the needy children commercials with the old man who ought to demand your money instead of politely asking for a donation, and Oprah giving away bigger and better items on her show, such as schools and humpback whales. Jabs at herpes, the condom fairy, pedophiles, and mannequins are equally hilarious and controversial subject matter, and the audience is convulsive with laughter.

Dane Cook offers full-length commentary for the entire event, which gives some insights on why he chose to run with certain jokes, and why he chose to cut out others that he originally planned on. Many more laughs are to be found on the commentary track, and Cook spills the beans on specific real-life situations that prompted the gags.