Zach Galifianakis - Live at the Purple Onion (2007)

I need more!

I read a lot of reviews on here before I bought this DVD and it made me kind of nervous. A good portion of the negative reviews (and even some positive reviews) said steer clear of this DVD if you liked the "dumbed-down Comedy Central Zach", but I didn't find this to be the case. I couldn't stop laughing through most of the DVD, so much so that I had to rewind it a few times because I was missing a few one-liners.

My only complaint is that I could have used more stand up, but it in no way detracts from the DVD as a whole. The extras were great (albeit short) and the cut scenes to random...Zachness...were all pretty hilarious.

Don't be frightened away by the "It's not for you Comedy Central Zach fans, It's only for us uber intellectual and gritty college types", the sh** is funny. It is however super inappropriate for certain age groups, so don't buy this for a family reunion or anything like that. Buy this DVD now...and you might want to do a few prep-crunches to get your abs ready for the oncoming juggernaut of laughter.
June 17, 2008

Not worth it

It shouldn't be called "Live at the Purple Onion" but more "Semi-Live at the Purple Onion but More Fake Interviews with my 'Brother.'" There's barely any stand-up in it. I love his comedy, he's one of my favourites, but this DVD isn't worth it. March 7, 2008

Raw

Zach talked about this video on the Onion AV Club. He talked about how it was his intention for this to lack the gloss of the normal production. It shows at times and before understanding his intention can put you off.

It's very much Zach, so similar to his mantra, that he doesn't care what other people think is funny, only what makes him laugh.

I enjoyed it, the interview helped me see it in a different light as well. February 13, 2008

Totally worth watching again and again!

This Zach Galifianakis DVD is one of my all time Comedy favorites! The first time I watched it I had to pause the DVD every 5 minutes to catch my breath 'cause I laughed so hard! I've watched it so many times since - and it still has me laughing! He is so brilliant... there's no one like him for timing and delivery... and his acting is superb... just check out the interviews with his brother Seth! I've bought this DVD for gifts and everyone I've given it to adores him now... You can't go wrong... Zach will never let you down! January 1, 2008

If you liked the Comedy Central show, skip this one

I first saw Zach Galifianakis on Comedy Central Presents. That was one of the best CC shows I've ever seen. His jokes were funny, and the way he blended the piano into it was beautiful. I bought this hoping to see more of that. If you liked the Comedy Central show, skip this one and save your money. You won't like it.

To say that this DVD does not match up to the CC performance is the understatement of the year. There are a number of things which cause me to give it a "Hate it" rating (I would have given it zero stars if possible):

1. It's not continuous stand-up. There are bits of a stand-up routine with "bonus" materials mixed in.

2. The stand-up routine just isn't funny. I could count the number of times I laughed on two hands. At 35 minutes into it, with 25 minutes remaining, I found myself hoping it would end quickly; that's how bad it was.

3. The "bonus" materials aren't funny at all. In fact, they're annoying. Interviews with "Seth" and videos of them driving down the road; yeah, that's why I bought the "Live at the Purple Onion" DVD...

4. A good part of the stand-up routine is simply him making fun of the audience. And not in a good way (like when he said there was a hyena in the audience in the CC show), but in a "move on, already, because this isn't funny" kind of way.

All-in-all, this DVD just wasn't funny. Maybe this is the normal Zach, and if so, I'll have to look elsewhere. It certainly isn't the Zach that I saw on Comedy Central Presents. In fact, I don't see how the two could be further apart. November 3, 2007

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