Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Theo Von: No Offense (2016)



Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Theo Von: No Offense (2016)
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Length: 67 minutes
Rating: NR
Production/Distribution: Comedy Dynamics, New Wave Entertainment, Netflix
Director: John Asher
Writer: Theo Von
Actors: Theo Von

Blurb from IMDb: Southern comedian Theo Von offers up a twisted take on his dating mishaps, meeting Brad Pitt, chasing down fugitive chimpanzees and more.


Selina’s Point of View:
With a title like Theo Von: No Offense, you have to expect a stand-up set full of offensive comedy. Luckily, I tend to like some edge to my stand-up, so I didn’t really feel the need to prepare myself at all. If you’re a little more thin-skinned, though, I would recommend giving yourself some extended prep time or not watching at all.

Theo Von (Bobby Khan's Ticket to Hollywood, Why? With Hannibal Buress, The Story of Our Times) got about as offensive as I thought he would. He discussed everything from mundane subjects – such as meeting Brad Pitt – to incredibly touchy subjects like child molestation.

In a special like this one, you need to make sure you don’t take anything too seriously. You know the comedian is going to go balls out, so you have to remember that it’s all a persona, everything is a joke and likely doesn’t represent how he really thinks. A lot of the time, people forget that.

As for the actual content, some of it was funny and some of it just didn’t hit for me.

For the parts that were good, they got some small chuckles out me. Nothing had me really roaring with laughter, but it captured my attention enough that I did give a few giggles. Unfortunately, none of those moments really lasted long enough before he felt like he was trying way too hard again.


I want to stress that my dislike has nothing to do with offense – the jokes and the delivery just weren’t good at times.

For example, take some classic controversial comedians like Andrew Dice Clay (Entourage, Whatever it Takes, No Contest) or Dave Chappelle (Chappelle's Show, Half Baked, Laugh Factory). They have content that relies on offensiveness, but when they’re doing a special, you can’t look away. Their delivery is sharp and it catches you off-guard enough that even if you are offended, it’ll get that knee-jerk laugh out of you before you can stop it. Theo Von didn’t quite get that.

Von was more on the predictable side. He tried to be offensive instead of falling into it more naturally. It the end, the special felt a little forced and unnecessary.

One of our readers recommended this special to us, so I tried to watch it with even more of an open mind than I normally do, but it just didn’t click with me.


Cat’s Point of View:
The world is sort-of inside out and upside down right now. We’re all shaken up to one degree or another because of the pandemic. Laughter is an excellent stress reliever. What better time to watch a comedy special, right?

Wrong.

I feel myself beginning to channel Yosemite Sam. What in tarnation did I just watch? That was a waste of an hour.

I have sat here and tried – TRIED hard, mind you – to come up with something positive to say about the Theo Von: No Offense stand-up special. I’m the eternal optimist that can find something positive in everything. I’ve got nothing.

I wasn’t laughing. That was pretty much the sum of it. I believe that the set was organized intentionally to offend as many people as possible, in order to make the title seem even more sarcastic. If that was the case, they were wildly successful. I wasn’t amused by the ploy, however.

There were a few moments, and I use that period of time generously, that I half-chuckled. Then the comedian said something else that wasn’t funny and nuked the laughter before it even fully formed.


Dave Chapelle: Sticks and Stones (2019) was more successful at getting me to laugh. Even then, I only enjoyed the epilogue after the actual show was over.

I don’t find bully humor funny, and that’s really what this show came across as. Making fun of people with disabilities, ethnic groups, and gay people squarely puts you into that category for me. It wasn’t tastefully done. I’m embarrassed this guy came from Louisiana, honestly.

Larry the Cable Guy (Witless Protection, A Madea Christmas, Cars 3) has more class than this guy, and he has some messed up jokes – which part of his schtick is apologizing afterward.

Maybe it’s Theo Von’s delivery. I don’t know. What I do know is that I will be praying that we don’t end up watching another one of this Von’s comedy sets any time soon, or ever again.

I can’t see myself recommending this.


Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 5.6/10
CinemaScore – None

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating2/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating1/5

Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: R

Movie Trailer:

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