I Need You to Kill

I heard about this documentary because i am a fan of producer/writer/comedian J. Elvis Weinstein (Freaks and Geeks, Mystery Science Theater 3000). I was also a bit curious about Louis Lee, the club owner of Acme Comedy who started this project, and some of Acme's history is archived here.

This fun documentary gives you the feeling of being on the road with standup comics in three Asian countries. You see not only the sets by American comics Chad Daniels, Pete Lee, and Tom Segura, but also some Asian comics to watch for from Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau. I particularly liked Jinx Yeo from Singapore (creating clever performance art in a country with very strict rules), as well as Tung Pak-foo and Wong Cheuk Yan Cherry and Tamby Chen from Hong Kong. The standup is good, and you also will see the American comics refining their material and discussing changes they made between gigs. I thought Pete Lee had particularly good jokes and was more culturally sensitive toward an Asian audience than Daniels or Segura, putting the focus of his perspective on him and his feelings while in Singapore rather than criticizing Singapore's strict rules. Not that comedians have to be diplomats, but as a former exchange student who spent a year in an Asian country as part of my minor I appreciate this kind of grace and polite handling of cultural differences. It's the choice between making friends and making enemies.

Definitely worth a rental from Amazon and I have no regrets about making mine a purchase.

Interesting in parts, but repetitive. Very detailed depiction of the business and creative theories of what makes a standup comedian successful.

Watching Tom Segura and Chad Daniels interact was hilarious. They need their own sitcom. Love this!

Some of the funniest people from one of the greatest clubs in the world ... a very interesting look at international stand-up comedy. I wish this were a series. It would be great to learn more about the comics based in Asia and how they create their material for an American (or international) audience ... basically the same thing but in reverse.