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Jeff Garlin heads back to his home turf in Chicago to spread some funny to the folks.

For so long I avoided watching the DVD’s coming out from the comedy genre because it seemed like every one of them was full of bad political jokes and one expletive after another with no good reason for them. Young and Handsome is Jeff Garlin’s first hour-long special and was filmed in front of a sold-out audience at the historic Second City Theatre in Chicago.

Not being familiar with al modern comedians and having never watched Curb Your Enthusiasm, I didn’t really know who Jeff Carlin was. As I sit and watch the DVD Jeff is talking about a fat man falling and I am laughing so hard because of how he looks and I am visualizing what he is talking about. I discover early in the show that he has a unique style of being able to make the viewer see what he is talking about. I think this is a great ability for a comedian.

He goes on to talk about the first time he stole anything. This digresses into a short discussion on math and this all seems to work. One of the wonders of Garlin’s comedy is that he is so scattered in his storytelling that his little side trips into explanations that may or may not have anything to do with what he is talking about.

So as the DVD goes on, Jeff Garlin has decided that he is going to share with the audience a few things he has written down that don’t fit into his act. I can’t help but wonder, if they don’t fit in anywhere why did he pick that particular place to insert these pieces of information and this made me laugh. I had to rewind because I was laughing and missed the first bit of what he said.

As we go on he begins to reminisce about a trip to Chicago where he is asked to escort Kid Rock and he lures the audience in by giving us more visuals of Kid Rock, Peter Cetera of the rock band Chicago, and him heading out for a big night in the minivan. By the time he gets to the end of story I have tears in my eyes.

As far as comedians go, Jeff Garlin is a very funny man. I won’t say he is a comedic genius, but I enjoyed this DVD tremendously. His self-deprecating sense of humor is not as annoying as many others I have witnessed and I actually think the bits he included about his wife and their relationship are pretty damn funny.

Let me close this out by telling you that I am personally thankful that Krispy Kreme Donuts saved his life, because the world is a funnier place with him in it.

In the extras section we get an interview with Jeff Garlin by Bob Odenkirk. It wasn’t as funny as the special. There are a couple of deleted scenes and it seems like there might have been a reason.

Young and Handsome: A Night with Jeff Garlin is worth the investment of time. Did I mention he is a funny guy? But don’t feel bad if you miss the extras.

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