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Read the Don't Make Him Angry DVD Review

I'd put Jo Koy in the same school of comedians that I'd put guys like Christian Finnegan. Koy doesn't break any new ground in his stand-up, but that doesn't make him any less funny. He's a comedian who's good at his job -- traditional without ever being predictable or hackneyed. He still manages to be original in a medium where it's becoming increasingly difficult to establish a unique voice.


On his first hour-long stand-up special, Don't Make Him Angry! (recorded during the 2008 New York Comedy Festival), Koy covers topics from international travel to Olympic swimming to (sigh) some of the differences between men and women. The majority of his material is on his own family, with extended and often very funny routines on his mother, son and wife. Not all of the bits work; a long rant on his hatred of France finds Koy pandering some and a bit about playing Wii with his mom overstays its welcome a little. But, for the most part, Koy is engaging and funny, finding ways to joke about family life and kids that still feel fresh and ring true. The title of the special comes from his best bit, involving his five-year old son and a green magic marker.

Where Koy struggles is in his pacing. The special gets off to a slow and quiet start when it should come tearing out of the gate, and it's a mistake that the comedian makes throughout Don't Make Him Angry!. Too often, Koy slows things down just when he should continue building.

It kills the momentum, and he has to spend the next several minutes just getting each routine back on track. The fact that these lulls are deliberate -- he's trying for a specific effect -- doesn't make them any less damaging.

Don't Make Him Angry! may be spotty, but worth the investment for fans of stand-up comedy. Jo Koy seems like the kind of comic who's only going to get better as his star continues to rise. He is truly ingratiating, and seems genuinely moved by the crowd's response at the end of his special. It's hard not to like him.

• Original Air Date: January 4, 2009