Funny or Die. If I was smart, I would've chosen the latter, because funny it wasn't. Wednesday's comedy event hosted by the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) was not only poorly organized, it was a complete creative failure. The disappointment radiates far deeper considering that the starless hoopla will be the most expensive Student Life event ever funded by the UGBC on campus, out-totaling 2006's Kanye West concert, which had a price tag of $150,000.
The show, which consisted of three standup routines hosted by Will Ferrell, started and ended with Demetri Martin, who also performed at BC last spring. Martin was a large success with students, particularly with his original drawings, which included a graph showing how much he likes a girl in proportion to the number of times that she says the word "like."
Second came Nick Swardson, who relied on a repertoire laden with cheap alcohol jokes, many of which were degrading to female audience members. Swardson, who commented that he loves blacking out to the point that he cannot remember the last day's events, also included tasteless pseudo-jokes dealing with the mentally handicapped and gay. Unsuprisingly, Swardson still managed to hit home on a campus that is sadly driven by alcohol more than it ever is by art. At least the threesome sitting behind me passing around a bottle of vodka thought he was funny. Ironically, the drunken girl of the group was fondling her boy-toy helplessly, just like the ridiculous drunk college females that Swardson described. (The fact that the alcohol could be snuck in was a testament to the fact that the security for the evening was a waste of money and time that delayed the start of the event by almost thirty minutes.)
Comedian Zach Galifianakis went third. His humor was about as ugly as the drugged-up Santa ensemble that he was wearing. Trying to make a political satire, he lip-synced "Tomorrow" while dressed as Little Orphan Annie, occasionally exposing his pink briefs. He spent the entire time ripping sheets from a large drawing pad, which featured abrasive rhetoric such as the fact that he hoped that Dick Cheney's "faggot daughter" had "faggot children." Such vulgarity for vulgarity's sake does not qualify as humor. It also felt all too odd, as he spoke to a university that is continuously not accepting of homosexuality, leaving his hatred as ignorant as our own.
I couldn't help but feel that the UGBC failed to accurately represent the show that they sold to BC students, leaving many wondering why Ferrell did not play a larger part in it. Perhaps this is because they themselves were unaware when they placed a bid for the event. The fact is that Ferrell himself is obviously not a standup comedian.
Truth be told, Ferrell was probably the greatest disappointment of the night. His big opening scene, in which he fought off a swarm of ninjas, was stupid and boring. This theme summed up the rest of the night, as Ferrell returned to the stage in a Jazzy, riding around the stage in circles while answering questions from the audience. He later came on stage dressed up as Ron Burgundy from Anchorman, selecting a female from the audience to interview for Valentine's Day. Yes, he exploited his own content; Funny or Die was nothing more than an exploitation of Ferrell's name. Surprisingly, although such a dynamite writer and performer on screen, Ferrell lacked stage presence. Those who were laughing at him were clearly more enamored of his star presence than of his actual material.
All in all, the UGBC started off the year strong, scheduling a fall concert. But with a paycheck so large for such a ridiculous show, the students end up being cheated.
Be the first to comment on this article!