Best Comedy DVD Picks for September 2009
Seth Rogen, Cedric the Entertainer Star in New Releases
Aug 31, 2009
New releases also include the highly successful war comedy (M*A*S*H) on Blu-ray, and from television to DVD there’s Cedric the Entertainer and friends starring in the All Star Comedy Jam.
September 1 Comedy DVD Release
M*A*S*H (1970) Blu-ray
The undisciplined – though highly skilled – staff of a mobile Army surgical hospital in Korea engages in strange antics to stay sane while they work among the carnage of war. Three surgeons Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland), Trapper (Elliott Gould), and Duke (Tom Skerritt) create chaos around the base (including an outrageous shower scene) when not saving lives in the operating room. Although other actors took on the roles in the popular television series that followed, Corporal Walter Eugene “Radar” O’Reilly was played by Gary Burghoff in both the movie and TV series.
- Also starring Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Roger Bowen, Rene Auberjonois, Jo Ann Pflug
- Director: Robert Altman
- Writer: Ring Lardner Jr. (screenplay); Richard Hooker (novel)
- Run Time: 116 minutes
- Rating: R (for sexual content, nudity, adult thematic material)
- Additional Information: Besides inspiring a long-running and critically acclaimed television series of the same name, this film won Academy Awards for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture.
September 8 Comedy DVD Release
Shaq & Cedric The Entertainer Present: All Star Comedy Jam (2009)
Cedric The Entertainer (Ice Age, Barbershop) hosts this All Star Comedy Jam along with NBA star Shaquille O’Neal. Guest comedians cover a wide range of topics, including sports, politics, and religion during this show, which was filmed at a live performance in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Also starring Kevin Hart, Tommy Davidson, Aries Spears, DeRay Davis, Shaquille O’Neal
- Director: Leslie Small
- Run Time: 89 minutes
- Rating: Not Rated
- Additional Information: Cedric The Entertainer executive-produced this comedy jam that first aired on Showtime Network.
September 22 Comedy DVD Release
Observe and Report (2009) Widescreen and Blu-ray
Seth Rogen plays Ronnie Barnhardt, a bipolar security guard at a mall that has seen an increase in criminal activity lately. There’s a pervert running around exposing himself and a thief, both of whom are able to elude mall security. A police detective (Ray Liotta) comes on the scene, so Ronnie decides it’s time to make his own dream come true of becoming a gun-toting cop as well. When not fighting crime, Ronnie tries to initiate a romance with an uninterested cosmetics sales girl (Anna Faris).
- Also starring Michael Pena, Randy Gambill, Celia Weston, John Yuan, Matt Yuan, Danny McBride
- Director and Writer: Jody Hill
- Run Time: 86 minutes
- Rating: R (for pervasive language, graphic nudity, drug use, sexual content, violence)
- Additional Information: Observe and Report was released around the same time as the similarly themed comedy film Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
September 29 Comedy DVD Release
Police Academy 1-4 Collection: 4 Film Favorites
These are the first four films from the seven-part series of spoofs featuring inept recruits at a police academy. The package features the original Police Academy from 1984, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985), Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986), and Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987). Steve Guttenberg stars in all four, and is supported by a variety of popular talent from the 1980s.
- Also starring Kim Cattrall, David Graf, Michael Winslow, G.W. Bailey, Bubba Smith, Leslie Easterbrook, Donovan Scott, Tim Kazurinsky, Sharon Stone, Bobcat Goldwait, Marion Ramsey, George Gaynes, Colleen Camp, Howard Hesseman, Scott Thomson, Billie Bird
- Run Time: 364 minutes (two-disc set for four films)
- Rating: R (for sexual content, nudity, language)
- Additional Information: Although the quality of the series deteriorated over the seven movies, these earlier films were quite funny and inspired an animated cartoon television series in 1988.
For more information about recent comedy releases on DVD, read Best Comedy DVD Picks for August 2009.
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