Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos

Finally got to see this special on Comedy Central last night. I already knew that he had two new guys in the show, although to be honest, Little Jeff he has done before. Check his autobiography. The beginning I didn't care for with Bubba J as the guard and Achmed driving. This was leftover from the Jeff Dunham show, which didn't work because these are dummies, not Muppets. As for his opening segment with his pictures, which you can see in his autobiography, it was cute and I wish he had mentioned the names of the earlier dummies. Is he ashamed of them? I liked the Walter segment and Achmed and his son was funny too. Peanut and Jose had some great lines, like when Jose called Peanut a Muppet reject. Walter once called him a Muppet on heroin. Nice little joke at the end with a mini-Peanut. I wish though he had tried to use Diane and Bubba J more than in the beginning. I know he can't put everyone in, but maybe he shouldn't try to do new characters in special 5 and just put everyone in as a reunion or something. Jeff is still great and one of the best.

A world class entertainer... a man with lots of self-esteem and funny characters.

I am a HUGE Jeff Dunham fan. So much so that I've watched every show and skit he's done about a hundred times each. Every comedian has a different style, content, attitude, and different delivery. Naturally not everyone is going to think Jeff Dunham is funny. His type of comedy is very lighthearted, and pokes fun at things that a wider variety of audiences can relate to and enjoy. If you're looking for Andrew Dice Clay (over the top), Carlos Mencia (all about race), Steve Colbert (all about politics), well, he's none of the above. His punchlines are a little random really...about random things. While almost every comedian jokes about serious subjects such as race, money, and politics, Dunham's show gives us a break from all of that. Think of it as adult Disneyland, complete with puppets. In short, big kids (adults) will love this humor and can even spend a family night enjoying the show together.

So why the low rating? I've read all sorts of negative reviews which I didn't believe at the time. However after attending one of his live shows and spending over $200 on seats I've come to realize that there is a lot of truth to what people are saying about Dunham. He's out of material and he's a one trick pony. This latest tour he was on was such a complete disappointment that I wish I could get a refund. The "Disorderly Conduct" tour was almost 90% a compilation of material from everything we already saw on TV over a hundred times. Sitting in my seat, knowing the punchline to near every joke was upsetting. Some of the material was nearly 6 years old. So I decided to read reviews on previous tours and guess what? They complained about the old material back then too. So if every show is just a compilation of used material, what does that say about Dunham? What does that say about what he owes his die-hard fans, who know his routine word for word already and PAID expecting more? Regular stand up comedians don't respect him because they say he depends too much on props and is not a true comic. Dunham wants to be respected as a stand up. How many stand up comedians get away with reusing old material over and over? None.

Jeff Dunham is one of the most successful and talented ventriloquists of all time! With his brand new show called ''Jeff Dunham Controlled Chaos'' proves that laugh is above everything in life. Making jokes with his buddies Walter, Achmed the dead terrorist, Achmed Jr, Jose Jalapino (on a stick of course) and lovely Peanut, he shows how much he loves his puppets. Even though we sometimes forget they are puppets, they make us laugh so hard every time we watch them! The puppets showed up in the following order: Walter, Achmed the dead terrorist and his son, Achmed Junior, followed up by Peanut and Jose! At the end of the show, 2 new puppets were showed up; Jeff Dunham and another version of Peanut! Pretty awkward, but you have to see it to understand what I mean! It's a show strongly recommended to be watched; you won't miss!

What happened?! Where's the guy who nearly made me wet my pants when I first saw 'Spark of Insanity'? Have fame and fortune gotten the better of him?

The show starts off with what is probably the best part altogether. Jeff invites us into his past with pictures of himself growing up, though what's mostly funny about it is the fact that he used to be really geeky and the pictures are pretty embarrassing (mostly according to his daughters, apparently). First up, after his introduction, as usual is Walter. And this is where I first got a somewhat eerie feeling. See, as most fans of Jeff Dunham will know is that many of his (Walter's) jokes sometimes border on moderately racist. However, Jeff always got away with this because it's really a character he's acting out, and I was always pretty sure it was more satire than actual racism. But during the first skit of 'Controlled Chaos', I seriously got the feeling that it really was more racism than satire. He really pushed the envelope with his sketch on Native Africans and their culture and habits. You'll know what I mean when you watch the show. I could handle the "learn the f-ing language" etc. comments in previous shows, but this simply wasn't funny anymore.

But it doesn't end there. His new 'Achmed' skit was quite simply lame and very unfunny. I couldn't help but feel like Dunham must have been tragically uninspired, because most of it was just rehashing old jokes. He also introduced a new character here, which I had seen in a preview and was really looking forward to, but alas it was a bitter disappointment. Too short, too weak and no catchy jokes. Next up was Peanut. I was waiting for this part (having pretty much given up at that point) thinking "well at least this one is sure to be funny", and there he goes again... Racist remarks throughout (this time about Asian people), and then halfway through, Dunham seemingly prepared to apologise to a man of Asian descent who, having attended the show a few weeks earlier, had complained via email of being offended (and rightfully so if you ask me), and he just waltzed right over it. He made Peanut 'read' the email but he just couldn't resist continuing his mockery and he never really apologised. Whether or not this email was real, remains unknown, but I don't think it really matters. He made his point.

Besides Africans and Asians he also takes the time to insult African Americans and Native Americans. Funny, huh? Oh, and I would actually like to state for the record that I am Caucasian... Just so you know.

Another really weird element was the way Dunham dealt with his divorce during the show. Firstly, all the previous skits with Walter whining about his marriage used to be really funny because we all knew that Jeff was (as far as we could tell) happily married, which made it OK by contrast. Now that he's not anymore (and bragging about his younger girlfriend) all of a sudden Walter's remarks like "I'm so jealous (of your divorce)" seemed really vindictive and out of place. Obviously, I don't know the details of the separation, but even if it was foul, I say leave the baggage at home. During the rest of the show there were another few remarks which seemed pretty iffy and nasty (quite probably directed at his ex-wife), which really had no place in a stand-up comedy show.

Thankfully, I would say, there is some resolve at the end, where Jeff does four characters at the same time, in high-speed, which is really well executed and very funny. Unfortunately, this part is a bit short, but I guess it had to be. I can only assume how confusing that would actually be for Dunham to do. But that was good.

Probably my biggest complaint is the fact that everything goes on for far too long, all the material is stretched way too thin, and having only three main characters this time, it all just seems to go on and on. I was bored, to tell you the truth. Bored, appalled and offended. And that's not how I want a comedy show to make me feel.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who think this show is funny as hell, but I honestly feel like tonight, Jeff Dunham showed his true colours. What a disappointment. And what an oxymoron 'Controlled Chaos' has turned out to be...