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Eddie Griffin: You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It (DVD Review)

Eddie Griffin is back in an all new full feature length comedy DVD entitled Eddie Griffin: You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It from Paramount Pictures and Comedy Central.  It’s been several years since Eddie Griffin had a comedy special.  Eddie is a busy guy in between touring and being in movies.  I was elated when I was asked to review this title, because it had been a long while since I had seen some stand up comedy from a familiar face.  How did You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It stack up?  Read on and find out. 

Film 

Eddie Griffin comes to you live from Oakland in his latest stand up comedy show You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It. Yes, he does have commentary on just about everything which includes, but is not limited to: Michelle Obama, DUI’s, Religion, Gangs, Racism, and much more.  I’ve got two words for you: I was rolling!  Yes, those were three words, but that’s beside the point.  This is the funniest I’ve ever seen Eddie Griffin in.  I used to be a fan of him back when they used to play his material over the radio.  My friend had an audio cassette of one of his routines that involved a woman who did not love a man with a bus pass.  Yes, it’s way more explicit, but I can’t go any further, because this is a family show.

Griffin got into movies and even then he didn’t quite do it for me, because he was always portrayed as your stereotypical “side kick” or ghetto stereotype.  You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It brings Eddie back into form.  It was so funny that there were tears in my eyes at some points.  I really laughed out loud throughout this one.  Some of my favorite stand up comedians include: Earthquake, Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac, Kat Williams and so on. Griffin has come out of left field and elevated himself to a higher degree.

I hope Paramount Pictures and Comedy Central ask Eddie Griffin back for another special in the future, because if it’s anything like You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It, it will be great!

Video 

You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It is presented in 480p with a widescreen 1:78.1 aspect ratio.  I was surprised at how clear the image was for a DVD.  I figured it’d be in full frame with the pillar boxes on the sides.  It was not, and my television easily up-converted the image to 1080p with no problem.  It was pretty slick for DVD. The lighting is very bright with lots of purples and blues, etc., but they were never a problem.  Honestly, this is pretty impressive for your typical stand up comedy DVD disc.

Audio 

You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 at 192 KBPS.  This is a pretty standard stereo track.  Dialogue is easy to listen to as are the audience reactions.  It’s not a mind blowing soundtrack by any means, but it does get the job done.

Special Features  

You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It has zero features except a 30 minute behind the scenes making-of.  This is a pretty cool featurette, because it shows you what goes on backstage.  Celebrities have tons of downtime.  Griffin does a rehearsal, talks to the production crew, gets something to eat, etc.  Nothing fancy, but it does give you a fly on the wall kind of perspective.

• Backstage Pass

Final Thoughts 

You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It is hilarious.  If you’re easily offended then don’t waste your time, because this isn’t for you.  If you can handle some serious comedy then by all means order yourself a copy.  You’ll be in stitches by the end of the show.  Enjoy!

Pre-order You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It on DVD!