I have a soft spot for the Blue Collar Comedy Tour troupe and they all bring something a little different to the table. Jeff Foxworthy would talk about rednecks but appears to be one that has "graduated" from the group and moved on to a more civilized life, Ron White isn't so much of a redneck as he is an "everyman" who just happens to be a functioning alcoholic, Larry the Cable Guy is without question the most proper redneck out of the bunch and in the past I have found him very amusing because I know some people that have an accent like him and they tend to be really awesome people - if not a little unconcerned with book learnin'
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In this recent special, which I suppose was filmed pre Covid and is just not coming to Netflix as an afterthought, is a much smaller venue than the Blue Collar Boys could get if they were all there together but it is still large enough to realize that "Larry" still has some pull on comedy circuits.
His topics haven't changed a great deal as he mostly talks about things that are innocent enough such as the fact that his family is quite country and doesn't take advantage of or understand non redneck life very well.
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A lot of his humor is self-deprecating and I always can appreciate that especially coming from a multi-millionaire who at least appears as though he hasn't forgotten his roots. I am willing to bet that the custom made sleeveless shirts are all a gimmick but who cares. It would be really strange to see Larry wearing a suit or sweater.
I laughed a few times but I do have some sad news to report here: I think that Larry's appeal may have run its course the way that Jeff Foxworthy's "you might be a redneck" stuff kind of lost its appeal after he did like 100 examples of the redneckery. Jeff was smart enough to jump ship after his huge success with that bit and did a few TV shows. These days I don't even know what the guy is into even though he has the best-selling comedy album of all time. I would imagine that he is off counting his money somewhere exotic like Kentucky.
I watched the entire 1 hour special and hate to report that I only laughed out loud a few times. I think that after many years of Larry talking about Wal Mart I just don't really find it amusing anymore. But at the same time I understand that he actually CAN'T deviate from this because it is his entire schtick.
Should I watch it?
For people that are unfamiliar with his stand-up you will probably find this more amusing that those who have seen his previous work. He is a lovable dude, that is for sure but I think that his entire motif has kind of run its course with me. One upside, even though this wasn't the funniest thing I have seen in a while is that Netflix has had some very unfunny or even preachy comedy specials lately, and it is nice to see some stand-up that isn't trying to lecture us about politics or social issues and just simply focuses on having fun. However, if you are looking for a laugh riot it might be better to stick to the Chappelle stuff.
