DVD Review: "Bananas: Jeff Allen"

Rated: Not Rated
Starring: Jeff Allen and Thor Ramsey
Released: 2004

Synopsis: Christian comedian Jeff Allen performs a stand-up routine in this TV special! Listen and laugh as Jeff tells about the perils of parenthood, keeping his wife happy, and his various automobiles! Hosted by Thor Ramsey, this double-disc set features jokes from Jeff that were not shown on the original television broadcast!

The Good: I've been a big Mark Lowry fan for quite a while, so, if he endorsed Jeff Allen, I figured Jeff's comedy must be hilarious...and it was.  I was smiling throughout the stand-up routine, sometimes laughing out loud! It isn't all jokes, though; Jeff bares his soul by telling how he went from being an atheist to becoming a Christian.  Having the entire performance is great, but...

The Bad: The DVD makers kind of botched this one.  Instead of featuring the original broadcast with the extra scenes added in, they put the TV version on one disc and the full performance on the other.  This meant I had to sit through essentially the same routine twice.  Also, a lack of captions or subtitles will likely frustrate deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers.  Though mostly innocent, Jeff's comedy had a "PG" moment here and there.

Content Concerns:

• Sex: A brief "PG"-level allusion. 4/5
• Nudity: None. 5/5
• Language: Nothing worse than "dorkwad," "moron," and two uses of the expression "for God's sake." 4/5
• Violence: Jeff talks about smacking one of his kids. 4/5
• Drugs: In his testimony, Jeff mentions his prior alcohol addiction. 4/5
• Frightening/Intense Scenes: Jeff's testimony is a bit emotionally intense. 4/5
• Other: Occasional "PG"-level crude allusions. 4/5

Conclusion: Other than Mark Lowry and Taylor Mason, both of whom were featured on various Gaither Homecoming Hour specials, I'm largely unfamiliar with the world of Christian comedy.  I'd hardly even heard of Jeff Allen before watching this, but, I still enjoyed it nonetheless.  While the performance was great, the DVD set was poorly made...which kind of messed things up for me.

Score: 3/5