Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show

A couple of years ago, actor Vince Vaughn took four handpicked, up-and-coming Los Angeles standup comics—Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, and Sebastian Mansicalco—on a marathon road trip: 30 consecutive shows in 30 nights, traveling 6,000 miles by bus through the Southwest, South, and Midwest. Vaughn hosted each evening's performance, which sometimes featured guest appearances by friends such as Justin Long (Live Free and Die Hard) and Peter Billingsley (child star of A Christmas Story) in funny, self-deprecating sketches about the creative life. While there are plenty of outrageous bits from the comics on stage, Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show isn't simply a concert film, but also a behind-the-scenes look at the unglamorous an often grueling nature of life on the road. And it reminds us that entertainers are sometimes just folks, such as when the guys—who embarked on tour during the terrible summer of 2005—make a sobering visit to a refugee camp in the wake of Katrina, and decide to turn some of their concerts into benefits. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one with producer Vince Vaughn and executive producer Peter Billingsley; the other with director Ari Sandel and featured comedians Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Ahmed Ahmed), a “Bonus Material” section with 54 minutes of deleted scenes and skits, a 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a six-minute “making-of” featurette, a segment on putting together “The Tour” (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a solid film.] (M. Johanson)