DVD Corner

Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule Season 1 and 2 DVD Review

“Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule” is far and away the funniest show on television.

In this hilarious dead-on parody of taped cable access shows, a goofy, eccentric host named Steven Brule (a self proclaimed Doctor) tackles a hard hitting theme/idea in each episode. Throughout the 12 eleven minute episodes, Brule explores food, relationships, family, health, fear, friendship, boats, pleasure, money, space, animals, and life. Expect to see random oddball segments in certain episodes about news, sports, yesterday’s weather, Ron Don Volante’s music, and revolting supermarket foods from the fictional Toad’s as well.

Having not known about the Dr. Steven Brule character from “Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!,” I tuned into the season 1 premiere of “Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule” just wanting to see one of my favorite actors (John C. Reilly) in his own Adult Swim show. Much like other brilliant TV comedies (such as as “Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace”), ‘Brule’ hooked me right away and made me want to share it with my buddies. It didn’t take long for my friends and I to devour (and endlessly quote) each episode. In fact, there’s not a day that goes by that the words “Turkey,” “Dingus,” “Hunks,” or anything with a misplaced ‘R’ come into conversations or texts. It’s just that engrossing of a show.

Now, I’m not going to say that every person who sees this show will fall in love with it because they won’t. Some people may be put off by the gross sight gags and some people may not be in on the joke. But, if you get what creators Tim Heidecker, John C. Reilly, and Eric Wareheim are going for, you’re in for a real treat.

From a technical standpoint alone, the show is a creative masterpiece. The attention to bad, awkward, video taped detail is astonishing. From the tape tracking issues to the lousy cuts, it’s clear that Tim and Eric have spent many an hour watching cheaply made cable access programs. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think this was one.

As I mentioned earlier, ‘Brule’ is an endlessly quotable series thanks to the great comedic writing staff. From Brule’s food guide pyramid to his fear of puppets, the misadventures of Brule will always keep you laughing. This is the type of rare show that never gets old because there’s so much for the character to learn about and so many adventures (and themes) for him to explore.

Of course, we know this show wouldn’t work nearly as well without the talents of John C. Reilly. I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t imagine anyone else doing this role. He completely makes the character his own to an almost creepy degree. Every expression and mispronunciation is so perfectly delivered that you can’t help but be in awe of his acting ability. When you think about all the great roles he’s done in “Boogie Nights,” “Chicago,” “Cedar Rapids,” and now “Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule,” there’s no denying that he’s one of the best actors in the biz right now.

Video/Audio:

The series, which is presented in widescreen, looks like a VHS tape (which is the point). You don’t want this show to look like crisp and clear like a Blu-ray disc.

From Brule’s mumbling to the staticy video tape sounds, the Dolby Digital 2.0 is as low-fi as it gets (which is how it should be).

Extras:
* A whopping 15 deleted scenes about a magic trick, furniture, Hippy Joel, geography, Cynthia Denguss, Tully, sports, news/weather updates, ghosts, a health store, vacuumed bags, yoga, and old meat. My personal favorites include the yoga farting sequence, the mole story, and the gut bustingly funny health store segment.
* 12 extended scenes with the biker, Stan Brule, Jan and Wayne, Steve’s mom Dorris, a security guard,  a men’s club, Brule’s internal monologue, Brule singing, and a zoo. The extended scenes are all just slightly different from the finished versions you see in the show. There’s no real stand-out moment here.

Summary: “Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule” gets my highest recommendation. Let’s hope we get a third season…for our health.

October 15, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Check It Out DVD, Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule Season 1 and 2 DVD Review, Eric Wareheim, Great Job, John C. Reilly, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Tim Heidecker