Although comedian John Everett's opening in How to Tell a Joke is a little rough (the first joke finds him mixing up the “he” and “she” characters in the punch line), he does a good job overall of explaining the fundamentals of humor and how to apply them. Drawing from his many years of standup comedy to help the humor-impaired tell tales with confidence and panache, Everett takes an encouraging and warm tone, arguing that the fear of looking foolish is the major hurdle to telling jokes well, offering tips on choosing appropriate jokes, and closing with some of his favorites (a few of which are a little on the racy side--granted, they might clear the bar at the Standards and Practices department of the Fox network, but still might not be appropriate for younger viewers). An accompanying booklet features the text of the entire presentation. A bit rough around the edges, but also definitely off-the-beaten-instructional-video-path, this is a strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (C. Block)
How to Tell a Joke
(2004) 40 min. DVD $19.95 (booklet included). John Everett (dist. by Instructional Video). PPR. Color cover. Volume 20, Issue 2
How to Tell a Joke
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.