Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity (2007)

Too much of everything

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A Masterpiece!

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Coming to you from Washington, D.C., this is Jeff Dunham's second comedy special and the guy is simply a blast. No pun intended there considering Achmed the Dead Terrorist pretty much takes the term literally. Achmed is joined by Dunham's regular stable of suitcase pals - old curmudgeon Walter, Melvin the Super Hero, Peanuts and Jose, Jalapeno on a Stick. It's quite difficult to catch Dunham move his lips while voicing the characters, every once in a while you'll notice, but otherwise he's got the ventriloquism gig down perfectly. Notice the fan reaction to Dunham's routine, you have people in the audience who double over from the snarky comments of his characters and his precise comic timing. As an aside, did you ever see a picture of Walter and former Vice-President Joe Biden side by side? The resemblance is uncanny.

My Dad likes Jeff Dunham and for the life of my I still just can not figure out why. He is not funny at all and all of his jokes are so bad I just groan without even really wanting to. His ventriloquism work is really good and he does a great job not moving his lips et cetera when his puppets are talking but what I care about is if they are funny or if the puppets are interesting and I can't stand this guy or his puppets at all. Most of the puppets aren't just unfunny they are totally racist. He has a puppet of an Arabic guy's skeleton and all he talks about is how he's going to kill the audience. He's a skeleton because he has already blown himself up as a suicide bomber once. There's also a lazy Mexican character for a puppet. This guy is just awful. I hope my Dad gets over him soon haha.

I am a big fan of guys like Ralphie May, Gabriel Iglesias, Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, etc, but Jeff Dunham absolutely is the most talented standup comic out there. It's simply amazing how the guy manages to give inanimate objects such diverse and strong personalities. It almost feels like if you saw one of them thrown out beside the highway some where you would yell- "Hey, there's Walter!" or "Oh my God, it's Achmed!" The thing that separates Dunham from any other comic out there is because most standup comics each have unique routines, but they mostly rely on a single catchphrase- like Blue Collar's "HERE'S YOUR SIGN!" But Jeff Dunham each gives the puppets a unique personality, and each and every one of them are hilarious in their own way. He even sticks out among other ventriloquists, as well as other standup comics.I could say much, much more, but I will condense everything by saying simply Jeff Dunham is a genius!!!

I first saw Jeff Dunham when I was in high school and all he had was Peanut and Jose Jalapeno. My sister and I were always saying the "zooom" Peanut does when someone doesn't get a joke - and actually, still do! When I saw him on Comedy Central a couple of years ago, I could not believe it had been about 15 years since I had seen him. I am so glad he still has Peanut and Jose Jalepeno (on a stick!) and absolutely love Walter. Luckily I was able to see him in Boca Raton last year and he was outstanding. It is impossible to not think the puppets are the ones who are actually alive - he is a truly gifted ventriloquist. Anxious to see what new characters he comes up with - Achmed is too funny. Can't wait to see him again!!!