Jo Koy is one of the few Asian stand-up comedians working on a national level, so he’s also one of the funniest, right? Well, it depends on your perspective, and tolerance for some lazy punchlines and tangents that lean heavily on reverse racial stereotyping.
Most of Koy’s comedy is family-centric, focusing especially on his six-year-old son, Joseph, as well as his 63-year-old mother (“She’s been in this country 37 years and her accent has somehow gotten thicker”) and her troubles with videogames and other technology. This is his wheelhouse — stories about his son’s stubborn independence (except when it comes to needing his ass wiped) and him coloring his penis green with a magic marker. Whether rooted entirely in fact or perhaps a bit apocryphal, this material showcases Koy in the best light — jocular, engaging, alighting on details that have a whimsical universality.
Much less interesting and amusing are the portions of the 42-minute Don’t Make Him Angry that tread more broadly generic observational comedy, such as when Koy does segments about female road rage, or being the only Asian in the state of Alabama during a trip there for a gig. It’s not at all that these bits are patently offensive — Koy still has a light touch that makes his riffs seem inclusive rather than ever angry or bitter — but rather just unimaginative and indifferently strung together, with goofy vocal impressions that hold no depth, let alone any particular insight. Koy seems to instinctively realize this, too, as he peppers these portions of his set with longer pauses and lulls — gambits that, painfully, only highlight their mediocrity.
Housed in a regular plastic Amaray case, Don’t Make Him Angry comes divided into 11 chapters, and presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, with Dolby digital 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio tracks. Unlike a lot of comedy titles, this DVD release is fairly stacked with bonus material, including a 21-minute extra Comedy Central special from Koy, a three-minute Apl.de.ap dance/musical performance by the group that opened for Koy’s show, a three-minute interview with Danny “Crumbs” Counts, and a one-minute, air-quote interview with Koy’s son. There’s also 20-plus more minutes of sit-down, segmented reminiscence from Koy, in which he talks about his childhood, and recounts his first and worst gigs. Oh, and just for giggles, there’s 20 seconds of Koy busting out with some robotic dance moves, under audio in which he mock-threatens the DVD producer not to include it in the final pressing. To purchase the DVD via Amazon, click here. B- (Concert) A- (Disc)