Jim Jefferies' "Alcoholocaust"

Title: Jim Jefferies' “Alcoholocaust”
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Stand-Up Comedy
Starring: Jim Jefferies

Believe it or not, I actually do take some recommendations from you folks. In fact I get so bombarded with recommendations that half I fob off and the other half I watch for 30 seconds before calling it shit and moving on. This was sent to me a few weeks back and it caught my attention quick enough to give him the time of day, which doesn't always happen, so to the dude who showed it to me I thank you; it's not often someone that isn't British makes me laugh as I definitely seem to have that “English” sense of humour as its called. Y'know, the kind that requires more intelligence than some repeated catchphrase or obvious fart joke to comprehend, and whilst he shows a love for the word “cunt,” the swearing isn't the actual joke. He doesn't go “cunt” before running off giggling like a little school girl, but I'm digressing.

When I watch films I like to get into the roles of the characters; to identify with them and empathise, and essentially understand their mindset and how it relates to the overall story. I went into this live DVD with the exact same mindset, and by the time he reached for his second pint – the second of four we see in this set of just over an hour – I realised it was time to raise my glass to him. Multiple times. As a result, I now write this mildly drunk, which probably explains why I'm already on my second paragraph about this bigotted Aussie bastard and haven't gotten around to describing anything yet. Let me truly get this under way with a list of people who shouldn't watch this film. People who are religious. People who dislike swearing. People who can't drink. Gays. Lesbians. People who can't take a joke. This drunken relative newcomer to the scene doesn't seem to believe in taboo subjects – except to break them, mock them, and then call them all cunts – and it seems fairly important to give this as something of a warning.

But as offensive as he can be, he's oddly humble about it all; he won't be rude for the sheer sake of it, instead opting to call upon personal experience and lay it bare and on display. Maybe the fact he was drunk when this was filmed helped, but there are a number of intimate details about his life that he shares with his audience; not in the least the last half hour which is devoted to the tragic tale of two of his childhood friends, who almost thirty years later are still alive despite one of the pair suffering from muscular dystrophy which by all doctors estimates should have claimed his life almost a decade previous. A decent comedian can take an inherently amusing story and tell it to a crowd, but to mix in a depressing story such as this and still extract the humour takes a man with more talent than he gives himself credit for. It's not his punchlines that struck me, it's his humanity. He doesn't come off as egotistical or offensive, he's simply not afraid to speak his mind in plain simple English, and I think that's what's missing from all too many comedians around these days.