The Charge

This guy is horny.

The Case

I never heard of Mitch Fatel before this DVD. Apparently he put out some wildly successful comedy CDs (that's what the back of the disc case tells me) and building off that bank, scored this hour long special from Comedy Central.

The first thing you'll notice about Fatel is his persona. For his stand-up routines, he's developed a soft-spoken, childlike demeanor to deliver his jokes. Okay, I'll just say it—the guy sounds like he's mentally challenged, an observation further supported by the title of one of his albums, "Super Retardo." So that's Part One of his gig.

Part Two is the substance of his comedy. And that, friends, is comprised entirely of sex jokes. That's it. Lots and lots and lots of sex jokes. Fatel mixes it up, tossing in the cheap, middle school locker room stuff with more nuanced humor…actually, no, it's all pretty much dick jokes.

At first, the filthiness of the humor juxtaposed with Mitch's delivery was kind of funny. He's telling stories about oral sex, talking with a slight speech impediment, and batting his eyes. That mismatch works…for a little while. After 10 minutes or so, I just wasn't digging the gimmick, yearning for a straightforward delivery of which Fatel is more than capable of offering (he speaks perfectly normal in behind-the-scenes footage). I get that it's the façade he wants to roll with, but in my opinion, this persona is best digested in small increments.

Which is a shame because this guy has some genuinely funny material. More than once I was laughing loud and heartily. His bit on the Internet horse video had me in hysterics. Too bad his adopted personality tends to be more of a speed bump than a benefit to the act.

There's not much to the DVD. It opens with a standard issue 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 surround, which look and sound fine, and closes with disappointing extras—fan interviews (blah); brief bonus stand-up footage; and behind-the-scenes of the disc cover photo shoot.

The Verdict

Mitch Fatel is funny, but his gimmick grows tiresome.

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