Review: Vaughn’s ‘Wild West’ captures comedy truths

Directed by: Ari Sandel

Starring: Ahmed Ahmed, Peter Billingsley, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, Justin Long, Sebastian Maniscalco, Keir O’Donnell, Vince Vaughn

Rated: R

Comedy is not always pretty – but it’s funny. And the best comedy speaks to the human condition.

Laugh and the world laughs with you.

None of the comedians in “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights – From Hollywood to the Heartland” have yet to reach the level of greats such as Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor or Bill Hicks, but the documentary is an entertaining and brave piece of work.

As the title implies, actor Vince Vaughn is behind the proceedings, acting as emcee/performer at the live shows and the film’s producer.

Vaughn is a current A-list comedy actor, but critics have been widely split on this movie. It’s obvious that the film was a labor of love for Vaughn, not something he chose to do to make him more viable in Hollywood. He deserves points for that.

“Wild West Comedy Show” is not structured to be a linear documentation of the show Vaughn and company presented. Rather, it deals with the logistics and rigors of being on the road – riding in a bus with bunk beds, staying four to a room at motels, never seeing much of any given city – for 30 days, with a show every night.

In the final third of the film (the best part), the audience gets to meet the parents and siblings of the comedians. This touch gives a great deal of insight into how these comics came to have their individual senses of humor.

John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco and Ahmed Ahmed are the comedians involved. They are a varied bunch.

“Cap,” as Caparulo is known, is akin to a “Larry the Cable Guy” type, but not as narrowly focused. Ahmed, as one might guess, is an Egyptian and a Muslim. He has forged a hard comedic path, centering on his heritage, in a post-Sept. 11 world. Ernst brings a certain degree of nostalgic memories to his routines, and Maniscalco is trying hard to forget he has to go back to his job as a waiter when the tour is over. (It turned out he didn’t have to.)

A number of Vaughn’s show-biz pals are on board as well. Dwight Yoakam shows up for a duet with Vaughn on “The Streets of Bakersfield,” Jon Favreau tells some great stories about their relationship, and the film’s executive producer is Peter Billingsley, who will forever be remembered as Ralphie, the angst-ridden kid in “A Christmas Story.” Billinsgley and Vaughn do a great bit where they read their actual scripts from the first thing they ever performed together, a 1991 CBS “Schoolbreak Special” that dealt with steroid use by high school kids. It’s timely but would be funny enough just seeing the two now grown-up actors playing kids. Wisely, the film cuts to scenes from the original performance 17 years ago.

While not a standard “stand-up comedy” piece, “Wild West Comedy Show” is a great documentary about not only the rigors of being a comedian, but the sheer torture of traveling on a bus, staying in motels and grinding out a show a night 30 nights in a row.

The final chapter, with the family interviews, makes the film absolutely worth seeing.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.