DVD Review: Historical Figures Cheersed in Brilliant ‘Drunk History: Seasons 1 & 2’

CHICAGO – The awesomeness of history loses any of its stuffiness with the incredibly fun, indeed educational show “Drunk History” from Comedy Central, its two seasons now released on DVD. Hosted by its creator Derek Waters, the show is a celebration of various historic figures and their under-appreciated true tales, as expressed by funny people narrating in the universal language of inebriation; their recounts are then reenacted by famous actors working with their given dialogue, dressed with the comic cheapness of a bloated biopic.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

For junkies of history and clever comedy, “Drunk History” has an intoxicating appeal itself, as it allots for many viewer-friendly boxes to be checked off. As actors don’t have to act but only mouth their dialogue, the show becomes a bonanza of random funny people, with stars like Kristen Wiig and Jack Black providing loosey-goosey portrayals of Patti Hearst and Orson Welles, respectively. At the same time, its stories might burp and “And so, like … ” through their recounts, (sometimes with breaks to prove just how drunk these narrators are), but sharing these true stories becomes the serious objective, and where this show finds a rare but exciting place as informative in spite of its irreverence.

This is not a critique of the show, but something worth noting — there is a special comedic beat to the censoring bleep, despite its intent from the FCC to keep things clean. Without it on these uncensored DVDs, having historical figures mouth cuss words takes on a different experience of funny, one not exactly to the glory of watching Abraham Lincoln being bleeped out, while sounding like a drunk fool.

Featured funny people on “Drunk History” include Jason Schwartzman as Ralph Nader, “Weird Al” Yankovic as Adolf Hitler, Aubrey Plaza as Sacagawea, Jayma Mays as Abigail Adams, Fred Willard as Deep Throat, Charlie Day as Allan Pinkerton, Bob Odenkirk as Richard Nixon, Martin Starr as Abraham Lincoln, and many others. Basically, “Drunk History” is like “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” if it was funnier.

Drunk History Seasons 1&2 was released on DVD on November 25, 2014
Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis for “Drunk History”:
“Drunk History” presents historical reenactments from A-list talent as told by inebriated storytellers. Drunken and often incoherent narrations provide a unique take on the familiar and less familiar people and events from our country’s great past with unforgettable results.
 
Host Derek Waters, along with an ever-changing cast of great actors, lead viewers from town to town across the country. In these 18 episodes, the show visits Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Detroit, Hawaii, Hollywood, Montgomery, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. and covers topics that include first ladies, sports stars, and the Wild West. (Courtesy: Paramount)

Special Features for “Drunk History Seasons 1 & 2”
o Drunk Outtakes and Extended Scenes
o Extended “First Ladies” Episode
o Sober Reveals

[39]	By NICK ALLEN [40] Editor & Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com nick@hollywoodchicago.com [39]