Yes, making prank phone calls is ethically wrong, inhumane, and maybe even criminal in some states; but when the pranksters are comedians like Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Nealon, and Denis Leary, one is inclined to listen despite trepidations. Essentially, celebrity pranksters (and a regular cast called the "Touchtone Terrorists") call businesses, switchboard operators, and regular folks, pretending to be kooks, racists, gangsters, confused seniors, you name it. In one of the best scenes, Sykes, pretending to be a deranged woman, calls a car mechanic and complains that someone at the latter's shop defecated in her auto. Instead of getting apoplectic, as many poor saps do on the wrong end of the line, the mechanic keeps Sykes talking for his own amusement. Other highlights include a call to directory assistance seeking Batman's phone number, and a "blind woman" who insists (to a strip club manager) that she can disrobe for customers--with the help of her seeing-eye dog. On the other hand, other bits are just downright cruel and Crank Yankers' central conceit of using annoying puppets to fill the screen while recorded conversations play out quickly becomes rather tiresome. DVD extras include two unaired calls and the featurette "Dial T for Torment." Optional. (T. Keogh)
Crank Yankers--Uncensored: Season One
Paramount, 2 discs, 253 min., not rated, DVD: $26.99 December 27, 2004
Crank Yankers--Uncensored: Season One
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