Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity Reviews

• Funnier Than Previous Dunham Material

  
  By A1JEXR3E3E8T2G on 2007-09-27
  Spark of Insanity was far funnier than any previous shows in Which I have seen Jeff Dunham and his puppets. Contrary to the one negative opinion I have read about the performance, I didn't have to gauge the reactions of audience members to know when it was time to laugh. It was very funny, and I must say that his tackling an issue, such as terrorism, with comedy, was funnier than I would have even thought it would be. Dunham is a very talented ventriloquist, with a fine sense of comedic timing. I feel sorry for anyone who can't get a laugh out Spark of Insanity, their sense of humor is irreparably broken. Buy it, see it, enjoy it!
  
  

• Funnier than the first DVD!

  
  By A1W9HU834W0OH7 on 2007-09-26
  I've been a fan of Jeff and company since high school. I remember seeing him on "An Evening at the Improv" which aired on A&E and on another comedy program that aired on VH1; I would tape these segments then make my friends watch them. They became fans of Jeff and Peanut, too.
  
  I thought this DVD was funnier than the "Arguing with Myself" one. I loved the Dead Terrorist. This program aired on Comedy Central and the DVD features some additional footage that didn't appear on Comedy Central. The bonus features on the DVD are great. It was interesting to see the development of Melvin, and Walter's "announcement" was fabulous. This DVD is a must have for any fan of Jeff and gang.
  
  

• Who is this guy?

  
  By A11PTCZ2FM2547 on 2008-01-02
  Okay, so I don't get around much; I don't watch Comedy Central; and I had never heard of Jeff Dunham. And up until a few days ago I thought of ventriloquism as about as hokey as middle school hootenanny; but then I was given Dunham's SPARK OF INSANITY as a Yuletide present (by my highly signficant other). . .
  
  I am a changed curmudgeon.
  
  Ladies and gents, this is funny, funny stuff, and I'm not talking about chuckling funny--I'm talking about rolling on the floor funny. Dunham and his "suitcase posse" of colorful characters (and an old curmudgeon like me sure appreciates Walter) tackle a plethora of topics--many of them devoutly controversial. But Dunham (and friends) gets away with controversy, because everything is fair game and no one is spared. Heck, forget the puppets; Dunham's opening monologue is hysterical.
  
  When a comedian can make his audience forget their troubles and just enjoy the entertainment for its own sake, said comedian has achieved pure comedic bliss. And Jeff Dunham does just that; SPARK OF INSANITY is well worth the viewing, time and time again.
  --D. Mikels, Author The Reckoning
  
  

• Achmed the Dead Terrorist

  
  By AWWFMWIGQVDHL on 2007-08-23
  My husband and I just saw Jeff's show this past Saturday in Mass. It was fantastic! Achmed the Dead Terrorist is hysterical! He goes right to the edge with a politically sensitive subject. And, of course, Walter, Peanut, and Jose are just as great as ever. We have his first DVD and are always showing it to people who haven't been indoctrinated. No matter how many times we see it, we laugh just as hard as the first time. We are looking forward to this new DVD to have in our house when we need a Jeff 'fix'.
  
  

• Wonderfully funny

  
  By A2P4JOZTE47OKP on 2007-09-13
  I was fortunate to see this show live in Newport Kentucky back in July and have been anxiously awaiting the release of the DVD. Jeff and company are totally hilarious and I did not stop laughing the entire show. I love a comedian that can bring on laughing tears. Of course Walter is my favorite, but his new additions bring a new spark to the show.
  
  
• Stupid, stupid, stupid
  By ASFRDTG4RLQHM on 2007-09-24
  At first I was intrigued by the idea of Comedy Central airing a ventriloquism act. It's been a while since those were popular -- it reminds me of the days of variety shows. It seems like you could really modernize the concept and have some fun with it. I thought it has the potential to be funny, albeit childish. So I watched the Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity show on TV.
  I was extremely disappointed. This Jeff guy is not all that funny in the first place. He does some preliminary stand-up before he brings out the puppets, and I have to say, it just doesn't do it for me. He's one of those comics that will make some sort of amusing but trite observation about something and calls that a joke (the "new wave" of comedy, coming fresh to your home since Jerry Seinfeld first became popular -- in the late 80's). Granted, the jokes are amusing, but I'm being generous using that word. It's just all been done before.
  One of the things that stands out to me as a sign of a good stand-up comic is how they react to a joke not going over well. A lot of comics just say something like, "Hello? Are you listening?" or "Well that didn't go over well." The problem with Jeff is that he laughs at all of his own jokes (which works on some level when the puppets are making the joke, but ventriloquists are better off playing the straight man or it makes the act look like a bad sitcom where everyone is just standing around waiting to say their line which is a painfully obvious setup for the next punchline). So when the audience is only slightly laughing, he just continues to enjoy his own joke by smiling and looking away from the audience "regaining his composure," I suppose. The audience (easily-amused and easily-persuaded as they are) usually feels a bit of collective awkwardness, which causes them to reevaluate the joke a bit, and they usually think "Oh, maybe that WAS funny" and start laughing as well. You'd be surprised how many "big laughs" he coerces out of them in just this manner. If he's really lucky, sometimes he even gets them to start hooting and clapping this way as modern audiences do to show that they approve and are aware how "brilliant" he is. Of course he revels in it in his quiet, smiley sort of way. He milks every joke he tells -- he just sits there and waits until it's funny. It serves as further proof to me that todays comics are not as interested in performing a show well or having truly funny and original material as they are making people like them. After the show when people are deciding whether or not they enjoyed the show they think to themselves, "well I did laugh a lot." Most comics seem like the biggest bunch of friendless approval-hogs. Jeff is their leader.
  This is all going on throughout the show even while he has the puppets out. Now never mind the idea that the simple concept of telling jokes with dolls might seem a bit goofy to the 21st-century mind. The puppets, while colorful and seemingly well made to my untrained eye (although they are not entirely free from malfunction), are not funny. Most are based on unimaginative, overworked stereotypes, or at least a twist on such ("what about an Arabian character.... who's dead!"). Of course there's a hillbilly/redneck and a grumpy old white guy who makes jokes about how much he hates his wife (never seen that before!). The voices work, and he certainly has a talent of switching between his and the puppets' easily, I'll give him that. But, come ON! The jokes are just PATHETIC and so obvious, they borderline complete banality.
  The only explanation I can think of as to why Jeff Dunham is doing this is that he was originally a stand-up comic doing the local scene. He just plain sucked so he decided to spice up his act one day and go to ventriloquist school. Somebody with connections to Comedy Central saw him and thought "Wow! This guy truly has a funny bit!" Frankly, I don't know how people like this make it out of crappy Vegas shows.
  
  
• Silence!!!
  By AAJGD1K7CPJTD on 2007-10-01
  I must admit this one was very funny. I had seen him before and found him funny, but here he stepped it up a notch. That was especially the case when he brought out a dead terrorist!
  
  I gotta be honest and admit to cringing a little - I had NO idea where that was going to go. But darn if he didn't pull it off. Very very funny... his catch-phrase in particular was hysterical... then those piercing eyes and over-the-top attitude which you couldn't possibly take seriously... amazingly creative (and bold).
  
  So I hadn't seen this new character before. Another thing new (to me anyway) was the way Jeff Dunham did a bit of standup beforehand, just standing there talking to the audience long before he pulled out the fellas.
  
  
• Sticks and Jalapenos
  By A18BD98SU49UB7 on 2007-10-10
  Its really hard to review a standup comedy routine "critiquingly". If it's GREAT, like this one is, I would have to resort to the overwhelming non-lack of cliches plastered on the covers of movie boxes and posters across the Land.
  
  What it boils down to, is this (and its very simple): This is one of the funniest and most tallented stand-up acts I have ever seen. You have your all-time greats like Pryor and (fill in your fav here) but did they hold three-way conversations at lightning speed and legibly conveying three unique voices with three different personalities? Either he has incredible tallent or he's related to Emily Rose.
  
  In short, its fantastic - Excellent - pullamuscle funny - and man does it deliver. I saw him LIVE in May at the comedy club Stardome in Alabama, and this dvd is just as good. Highly recommended for you adults who need a change in pace. ~saos~
  
  
• Dead spark...
  By A1KT1GWCW8F80 on 2007-11-01
  I laughed out loud many times, and watched the DVD again the next night - for Jeff's previous DVD "Arguing With Myself".
  
  This one however, left me a bit disappointed, perhaps just because it's tough to follow the previous one, and it is not so fresh. Characters Sweet Daddy D and Bubba J are missing as well. Although Achmed had a few funny moments, Jeff did not do as well with him as I had anticipated.
  
  It did have a nice "making a puppet" feature that showed the inception and development of Melvin, a new super-hero character, that turned out to be my least favorite character, with the weakest jokes.
  
  If you have not seen the first one, this DVD might make a better impression.
  
  
• Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity
  By A2R8DS5FG7ZR2U on 2007-08-16
  Saw this show whne he came to Bowling Green. It was very funny. Reoomend to everyone and if possible see Jeff live!
  
  
• VERY DISSAPOINTING (Sad Dunham Fan)
  By A13CFVUSPA17BH on 2007-10-11
  I have been a Dunham fan for 15 years and have loved every moment of every routine I have ever seen Jeff perform. HOWEVER, this DVD is a huge dissapointment to me and my family.
  First of all, Jeff seems to be under the false notion that people love his comedy with or without the dummies. THEY DON'T. He is simply not that funny solo. Yet in this DVD, he opens up with a painfully long monologue that is so not funny and filled with "borrowed" jokes from old comedians. When he finally does start into the dummies portion of his act, he seems to be just going through the motions. He seems disinterested at many times, his character voices all basically sound the same this time around and his energy level seems forced and fake. Perhaps the night they taped this live show, he wasn't feeling well or had a fight with his manager before he walked on stage, but this performance should NOT have been the one they made into a DVD.
  If you are a true Jeff Dunham fan as I am, skip this DVD and wait for the live show to come your way. You do not want to see him like this, I assure you. (Jeff, if you are reading this, PLEASE stop doing the solo monologues and stick to your strengths. As a stand-up comedian, you are a mediocre amateur. As a ventriloquist, you are a GOD!) People buy tickets and DVD's to see the worlds greatest ventriloquist- nothing more.)
  
  
• Greatest Performer Ever
  By A1BY4NKP0KE5OC on 2007-08-23
  Was at the show that this was filmed. It was incredible and cannot wait to see it when it is released. Jeff is great. The DVD is a must see. Alot of material not shown in the Comedy Central Special.
  
  
• FUUUUNNNYYYY
  By A2W9O5U0JGWV0Y on 2007-08-24
  Just got home from seeing Jeff perform this live. Some of the show will be from the David Letterman show skit with Walter With new material added. Just Funny stuff. Will have you in stitches or impaled "On a Stick"
  
  
• Very Funny And Entertaining
  By A3QWHQK6CVMT3M on 2007-11-13
  Jeff Dunham is a very funny comedian. His style of jokes and mannerisms on stage was a pure delight. My wife and I really enjoyed Walter and especially Achmed the Terrorist. Although Jeff had some raw humor, we still would recommend for mature audiences. Looking forward to his next DVD and his upcoming tour.
  
  
• Disappointed
  By A1BBLQ702QKLY1 on 2008-01-02
  I bought this DVD mainly because of his two characters; "Achmed the dead terrorist" and "Walter". The release date of this DVD is 2007. The release date of "Arguing with myself" is 2006, so I'm assumeing he attempted to "freshen" his material, but failed.
  Some of the best "bits" from his Walter character were cut, and some not funny bits were added to "Achmed".
  For instance: Achmed tells of how to kill two Jews by throwing a penny between them, or throwing a child between two Catholic priests.
  I'm not a PC person by any means, nor am I Catholic or Jewish, but this was extremely low brow humor and distasteful.
  It is obvious that Jeff Dunham was out of material and should not have tried to fix something that wasn't broken.
  
  
• Racism disguised by felt
  By A3406DQW7AAOKU on 2008-01-04
  It is amazing what stereotypes you can get away with simply by turning the object of your insults into a puppet. José the Jalapeño and Achmed the Terrorist and his pimp character are easy targets playing on the stereotypes of our culture. Heck, even Walter is the kind of age discrimination that limits our understanding of the senior set. If he were to tell his jokes without a puppet, he would be booed off stage like Michael Richards screaming "N*gger". This DVD is only for those willing to embrace their inner racist.
  
  
• New but not better.
  By ABR1J6U0Z87MJ on 2007-09-21
  Walter messes with Achmed and passes gas on stage. Peanut messes with Jose AND Jeff, which is also new. Melvin is forgettable. Achmed is a very good new addition.
  
  This new DVD special is very good but doesn't have quite the same energy or spontaneity as the first DVD. It is still very good though and well worth seeing and owning.
  
  This is just my opinion. I am a big Jeff fan.
  
  
• Laughed to tears!!!!
  By A2M5FI4CB6VUXF on 2007-09-24
  I laughed so hard I cried.... and I mean that literally. I was in tears from laughing so hard. You know how they talk about laughing until your sides hurt? That was me. I had to make myself stop laughing from time to time because I wanted to hear the next joke!
  
  This guy is freaking crazy and I mean that in a good way! I have watched a LOT of comedians and there are very few that can be this funny without being dirty.
  
  Jeff Dunham has reinvented the Ventriliquist artform... he has taken it to a new level. And this is more than a spark of insanity. It's a spark of pure comedic GENIUS!
  
  
• Stinkin' hilarious!!!!
  By A3867BNRT9K1Z6 on 2007-10-18
  This was funnier than Jeff Dunham's previous stuff. A must see! I'm amazed how such a talented ventriloquist Jeff is. Peanut, Walter, and Jose Jalapeno are my favorite characters. The new characters are fabulous. I love how the stories that Jeff tells at the beginning are referred to throughout the show.
  
  
• Jeff Dunham is amazing
  By AO4CIKY7Q1REK on 2007-11-28
  I discovered Jeff Dunham on an HBO special of the same title of Spark of Insanity and I was absolutely amazed by his originality. Dunham is amazingly not the predictable ventriloquist for several reasons. One, he's focused on as well as his dolls, which is rare, and all you can see is his throat barely move while his lips don't move at all. Most ventriloquists are too obvious. Second, his five characters are original both in voice and personality. Most ventriloquists have trouble making each character separate. Jeff is also amazing because his characters have clear diction, while most ventriloquists have problems with certain sounds.
  
  Peanut the alien looking doll is strikingly manic and took a couple viewings to get used to. He either grows on you or you'll completely dislike him. He's an upper without being annoying. I loved his kidding about Dunham's last name by calling him Jeff Dun-HAM and calling Jeff "the other white meat" and kidding about the "ff" in Jeff's name calling him "Jeff Fa fa". Plugging Jeff's website Peanut is hysterical because his voice rises and falls and as many times as he plugs Jeff's website it's not annoying. Made me so curious that I visited the site.
  
  Walter is an obnoxious grouch and reminds me of my uncle which makes Walter funnier because people like Walter do exist. Walter says things no one would dare even for a 'real' old person.
  
  Melvin the Super Hero is refreshingly unsuperhero like because he's not perfect.
  
  Jose Jalapeno is cute and for a long time I couldn't figure out until I watched really close how his mouth moved. His accent is astonishingly real considering the fact that Jeff is American and to precisely mimic a Latino accent shows his unique gift of mimicry. I didn't like the routine of Jose Jalapeno being drilled by Peanut over being legal. Why? There's a difference between being current and making fun of it, and propagating the myth that if you're not legal, you don't belong here despite the justifications on the contrary by Jeff.
  
  But my all time favorite is Achmed the dead terrorist. He was hysterical when he mentioned his fear of Walter's farts busting the myth that the propagandized 'evil' terrorist fears nothing. His only problem is that he sounds East Indian instead of Middle Eastern. What I didn't appreciate was what I perceived as an Anti-Semitic joke which Mr. Dunham vehemently denies as racist when he made Achmed say he'd like to "Kill the Jews" by "tossing a penny between two Jews and watching them fight to the death" reinforcing the stereotypical myth that Jews fight over money which we don't and that such an act would be considered entertainment and telling Achmed that he doesn't use bigotry in his routines. Justifying the Anti-Semitic comment by Jeff's making Achmed say that he did the same joke but using two Catholic priests by throwing in a young boy was lame using priest molestations because no stereotypical racist comments about Catholicism as a religion was tossed in, making me wonder how Anti-Semitic Jeff Dunham may be while hiding behind his dummies. What I wonder about is what will happen to Achmed after we get over the propagandized fear over the 'evil' terrorist. He'll have no more material, forcing him to be relegated to nothing more, in Walter's words, as "just a stinking Halloween ornament". Despite his minor flaws, Achmed is a great character because he's given some 'humanity' and humor. The best joke about Achmed was that being all bone was nothing more than a "flesh wound".
  
  Alone, Jeff Dunham isn't funny at all with his beginning solo routine about his Blue Prius. I have no idea what that car looks like and it's reference as being a "gay" car because it's blue I found tasteless because once again it's poking fun in a stereotypical manner at another group of people who have enough problems with inaccurate judgements against them. Nor did I like his comments about his Chihuahua. I have one and they're great dogs and not to be maligned because they're small with big personalities.
  
  Overlooking the unfunny tries at stereotyping, Jeff Dunham is an amazing entertainer to watch. Being cute helps also. I'm looking forward to more from him.
  
  
• So Funny! Great laughs for all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  By A38XPNYDYFEHTE on 2008-01-22
  Jeff is fabulous! He keeps you laughing throughout the whole movie. Although this might not be appropriate for younger children due to language, the puppets are great and is a must see for everyone! I have seen many comedy movies and this is a good one. Achmed the dead terrorist is so funny, (one of our favorites along with Walter and Peanut). Who would have thought jokes on such a a sensative subject would be so funny....Jeff really pulls it off and does a great job at it. This dvd gets a five star rating from my whole family, as well as my friends whom I have lent this to. Keep up the good work and get some more dvds out soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are looking forward to many more laughs with Jeff Dunham!
  
  
• Excellent ventriloquist, very funny comedian
  By A20C99CULQ3QKV on 2008-03-31
  Well worth purchasing and watching. Lots of material not seen on comedy central special. Very funny. Are you my virgins? I hope not. There's a bunch of ugly-a## guys out there! Watch it and understand
  
  
• AMAZON is incorrect
  By A3EHGISEE66E70 on 2007-08-02
  The character Melvin the super-hero has been seen before on Comedy Central a few years back. Achmed is the only NEW character not seen on TV in the past. My wife, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and myself saw Jeff in San Jose when he debuted Achmed. It's a fine line that is crossed with the whole terrorism thing, but I'm sure Jeff has since improved on the character. I just hope he discusses his daughter and his powder blue Prius like he does in his Improv acts.
  
  
• Awesome Act
  By AE8R3YVXO9X81 on 2007-08-12
  I saw this tour in Tulsa, OK in May. Great new material from Jeff. Achmed is too awesome.
  
  
• Jeff does it again!
  By ATQDX5U19GS09 on 2007-09-23
  This is a great DVD. There are a few things about it that concern me a bit but not enough to recomend NOT getting it. 1) In the first 20-25 minutes of the DVD Jeff does a stand-up comic rutine that I felt ran a little long and winded when everyone is waiting for Walter and everyone to come out. 2) I felt that Jeff was pushing the envelope with the new "dead terrorist" bit. All be-it it was funny but was pushing the fine line of comedy and the not-so funny comments on jews and such. 3) I felt that Jose Halopinia (on a steek) did not get much stage time along with peanut. Peanut and Jeff did most of the talking while Jeff just held Jose there not using him as much in the act as I thought he would.
  Over all I rated the DVD with 4 stars. I still think Jeff and co are a hoot and is still a really good show. I still think this DVD is worth the money to buy for a great laugh. The bonus features are great as well.
  
  
• Awesome!!
  By A3CUCCLVXW80VW on 2007-09-24
  First I must tell the editor who wrote the review that I personally don't think any Latin guy who understands English will not laugh his guts out watching this. I was born in Cuba, and I am way beyond that "politically correct cr@@p". Although I would suggest one thing: next time any guy out there talks about us Cubans, please remember two things: 1) No, we DO NOT consume chili, jalapenos or whatever (that is a MEXICAN custom, not Cuban) and 2) We have no idea back in Cuba what a taco is. In fact, that for us, means a completely different thing; and a tortilla for us is an omelet, not some floury thing that, by the way, we again DO NOT know anything about back there. But then, enough of that, and let's give a huge round of applause for this guy. He is simply BRILLIANT. And for those of you Latin guys who go: "Oh this is wrong, politically incorrect.." I would say, get a freaking life!!!
  
  
• Jeff Dunham Genius
  By A5WOCU3OTUJ8Z on 2007-09-26
  Ok, I just had to defend Jeff to the guy a couple reviews down, who just hated him. Well, I am not one to flam someone for not having the same taste, just get some facts straight.
  
  You say his still is the been there done that circa seinfeld. Guess what? Been a fan of Jeffs since I knew that whiney comedian. If you don't like his style, cool, but you can't knock that he has been doing this for a lifetime, and makes a living at it, so it works; don't fix what aint broke.
  
  Can't wait for this dvd!!
  
  
• Laughed our butts off!!
  By A311OIWUYZM7YY on 2007-09-28
  Jeff is one talented "Puppet Boy"!! Bought it for my husband, and we both laughed til our sides hurt and tears running down our faces!
  
  
• Spark of Genius
  By AXMCPPOOFJCE9 on 2007-10-17
  I was in the Warner Theater the night they taped this, what a scream!! This DVD is wonderful, the only thing missing is Ackmed singing Mandy. That would have made it complete. Guess they couldn't get the okay from Manilow. Oh well, this DVD will make you laugh until your sides hurt.
  
  
• Good, but not as good as "Arguing with Myself"
  By A3VCJDZ2I8PPQK on 2007-10-23
  If I had never seen "Arguing with Myself" or had not been a fan of Jeff since his initial appearance on Carson, I'd probably give this 4 or 5 stars because it is quite good and is not dissapointing taken as a stand alone act--but compared with Jeff's other works, I found this routine to be a bit sub-par.
  
  Overall, I'd have to agree with another reviewers comment about how the tone of the show seemed a bit toned-down. Not nearly as 'racey' or 'foul-mouthed' as the original. With the new advertised new character "Achmed the Dead Terrorist" (discussed latter) I really wondered where the heck this was going to go...
  
  Jeff's introductory stand-up routine was quite funny...the jokes about the Toyota Prius were used the same way "Lotion" was in Arguing with Myself throughout the routine.
  
  Walter, as always, ends up being the highlight of the show--his take on suicide bombers had me in stiches laughing. Jeff with Walter is reason enough to buy the DVD.
  
  The next puppet is "Achmed the Dead Terrorist" who replaces "Sweet Daddy Dee". I enjoyed Sweet Daddy Dee, my wife didn't care for that routine. As for "Achmed", I really had to wonder where he was going to go with this... Turns out it was just a bit silly with no real 'racey' (for lack of a better term). The new tag line "I KILL YOU!" is humorous, but doesn't come close to replacing "on a stick" in the Jeff Dunham lexicon. This routine was slower and duller than Walter, but then again, I don't think Jeff has a puppet in his repertoire that wouldn't be a bit of a let down after Walter (the exception being Peanut of course).
  
  Third is Melvin, the superhero without superpowers (except for a phallic looking long nose) who replaces "Bubba J". The part of the routine was the dull point for me. I found Melvin's humor very dry not all that funny...it dragged until finally...
  
  Peanut, Jeff's hyperactive Puppet comes to the stage. And here is the first time I have a complaint about Peanus routine: IT WAS TOO SHORT! After nearly falling asleep with Melvin I'm back to cracking up with Peanut--soon Jose Jalapeno makes an appearance...and then it's over...!!!
  I realize Jeff is trying to branch out and find new ways to keep his act fresh, but give Peanut some more airtime as for your fans he--like Walter are the favorites.
  
  All in all a good DVD, but if you're trying to decide which one to get, get Arguing with Myself first....much funnier.
  
  

• Jeff Dunham - Arguing With Myself
• Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy - Live From Bakersfield
• Rodney Carrington: Live at the Majestic
• Ron White - You Can't Fix Stupid
• Bill Engvall: 15° Off Cool