Comedy has always been a mainstay of entertainment. What is considered funny may constantly be in a state of flux but it is axiomatic that people love to laugh. This isn’t a recent trend but an increasing number of comedians have been going blue. That is to say that the subject matter and language that is in common use with stand up comedians would make the proverbial long shore man blush. Even comedians that have a family oriented reputation have gone through their more adult humor phases. Bill Cosby redefined the family sit-com but a few decades ago released an album of his stand up routine. On one side was the family friendly early show. The other side was the late show with much adult presentation. Now, the popular trend in stand up is the troupe of comedians. Typically there is a common theme to hold a group of normally independent comedians together such as being African American, Latino or even ‘red necks’. One such group of stand up performers have embraced the troupe method but completely rejected the commonly accepted practice of the dirty joke. Collectively they refer to themselves as ‘The Apostles of Comedy’. Individually they are Jeff Allen, Brad Stine, Ron Pearson, and Anthony Griffith. They are all practicing evangelical Christians and are as proud of their faith as they are of their humorous talents. No matter what religion you happen to belong to funny is funny and that is an accurate description of these four men. Their acts are now released on DVD by First Look Studios. This is just right if you happen to be a little tired of the near constant cursing and all the drug, violence and sexual references in most of the comedians that get all the exposure of late.

The stated main reason for this film and the comedy it is based on is simple. These comedians are part of a large segment of the population that feels disenfranchised by most comedians. They do not feel that it is necessary to be obscene or ‘dirty’ to make people laugh. Most of all these men want to perform comedy that reflects their moral standards and that can be enjoyed by the whole family together. As offensive language and adult subject matter became associated with cutting edge humor many comedians who chose not to go this route were relegated to the bottom of the list of popular performers. These men have taken a stand to combine their faith and beliefs with their humor. Even if you don’t agree with their religious views you have to respect them for standing up for themselves here. This is also just as much a part of the first amendment as their more vulgar contemporaries speak about. If the constitution of the United States covers the use of offensive language and subjects it covers all comic formats including this one. Don’t laugh at them, give them a listen and you might just be laughing along with them.

The film opens with the men gathered together just before going out on stage. The form a pray circle and ask God for help in their performance. There are the usual scenes of the behind the scenes preparation for the performance. Outside the crowd awaits the opening of the doors to the venue. The first one to take the stage is Jeff Allen. He starts off by telling the crowd that he and his wife is a praying couple. They believe in a God who answers prayers. When they got had children they prayed for patience, tolerance, love and understanding. God answered those prayers by giving them not one but two ADHD children. So watch what you pray for the Big Guy has a sense of humor. Right off he makes a connection with his audience. The kindergarten actually called to tell them their oldest boy was hyper active as if they didn’t realize this before. Allen has a long rubbery face that punctuates his jokes. He takes on the politically correct term of ADHA. Back when he was bouncing off the walls in school he was OLP, obnoxious little punk. Yes, even a devote Christian can find a joke in the way our society has to sanitize every term used to describe a person. Instead of talking about his son’s experience Allen takes the high road and recalls his own problems in school.

Next up is Anthony Griffith. He is an African American performer who explains that he is glad to be back in the country; he just completely a tour in Africa; actually a small town in East Africa called Detroit. Griffith explains that he made a little extra cash while there; he was hit by a car. He just rolled on the ground and screamed like is momma taught him. He tells the crowd that he has some many bill collectors after him that when they come to his house they car pool. He tells them his debt is their fault, they pre-approved him; he knew he didn’t have any money. This also goes over great with the audience. Instead of risqué jokes he connects with the audience through the increasingly difficult economic times. Ron Pearson is next taking the stage. He has a higher energy level than first two performers moving about more on the stage. At first he complains that there is no reality in reality television. He does like ‘Home Makeover’ because it does help people but he finds himself wishing someone in his family had a disease so he could get that house. Finally Brad Stine comes out. He is even more animated than Pearson as she moves around the stage. He paces back and forth like a cross between a caged animal and a tent revival preacher. He tells the audience that he loves them because they keep to American traditions like hunting, fishing, loving their church and don’t apologize for it. He is tired of the politically correct attitudes saying don’t shoot the animals they might get their feelings hurt. For him a true American will shoot it, eat and hang the head proudly on the wall. Needless to say there are not a lot of PETA members in the audience. He goes on about the difference between driving in Los Angles and down in the South. In LA there are no ‘Deer Crossing’ signs. There is no chance that an animal will leap across the road. He claims this is not a sign problem but a need for a fence.

The film then takes a break to show the men at home. They are all friends outside the show and associate with each other. This segment of the film demonstrates how they live their faith and why it is so important to incorporate it into their comedy. Overall the movie is very funny and the behind the scenes look something not usually found on a DVD like this. It is nice to be able to share a comedy DVD with the whole family. For once there is no need for a parental advisory sticker on the cover and that is something rare and special now.