|
Home
About Jester
Sketch & Solo Performances
Improv Performances
Film & TV
The Jester Interviews
Jester's Blog
Book reviews
Favorite links
Facebook
|
|
The Trucker Has
No Clothes
Muddled take on blue-collar comedy genre offers little amusement
 Two weeks ago, Comedy Central’s “The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show”
received a glowing full-page write-up in the New York Times’ Sunday Arts
section, something a look at its first two episodes doesn’t justify.
The Times piece described at great length how stars Dave Allen and David
Koechner developed the characters separately as parts of past live
sketch comedy shows and even in some previous film and television work.
Koechner, the better-known of the duo, has made vivid impressions in
small parts in Will Ferrell’s movie “Anchorman” and as a buddy of Steve
Carell’s boss character on The Office TV series. As T-Bones, though,
he’s just too scattered and most of his dialogue is so out there that it
ends up just falling flat. Allen’s sole joke appears to be just being
naked with a guitar hiding his privates -- aside from that, he’s nothing
but a wall for Koechner to bounce off.
And overall, the show itself doesn’t seem to know what to do with the
duo’s characters, flailing around between filmed pieces and variety-show
type segments before a live audience. Plus, in the first episode, Will
Ferrell makes a cameo that is funnier than anything else here, making
the show’s dearth of focused and sharp material all the more glaring.
So, to step out on a limb and make a bold prediction, “Naked Trucker &
T-Bones,” a misguided attempt by performers who don’t come from the
“blue collar” comedy genre to parody it, or capitalize on it -- it’s
unclear what they intend -- is going to drive off into the sunset a lot
faster than its creators might like.
|
|
|
|
|
