Narrative Review

When you hear the name Vince Vaughn, you expect laughter. That seems to be the rule now.

Sure, for a while he attempted drama with a "Psycho" remake, "Clay Pigeons" and "Return to Paradise," but the public spoke with their wallets. None of those films made much money, and Vaughn returned to comedy with huge hits such as "Wedding Crashers."

So who better than Vaughn to lead us through 30 cities in 30 days with four stand-up comedians? "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights, Hollywood to the Heartland" is supposed to be a raucous ride of laughter, but it's thin on one important aspect: the jokes.

Vaughn is joined by four stand-up comedians (Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco). Not that you should recognize those names; in fact, Maniscalco still has his job as a waiter to get back to when the tour ends.

They load up the bus and head out across the country for adventure. It's exactly like the HBO series "Dane Cook's Tourgasm."

The one twist is that Vaughn brings along a couple of famous friends for a few of the tour dates. Justin Long, Vaughn's "Dodgeball" co-star, joins for some gigs and does a great imitation of Vaughn from his "Swingers" days with the help of Jon Favreau. You might not recognize Favreau, as it looks like he has enjoyed the spoils of fame and put on about 75 pounds.

Just like the short-lived "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "Wild West" fails in living up to the subject it discusses. "Studio 60" couldn't showcase sketch comedy at its best. "Wild West" doesn't contain amazing stand-up material.

Ernst is the best of the four comedians, discussing the difference between girls and guys, mainly while at a bar. Ahmed jokes about his heritage (he was born in Egypt) in a post-9/11 world. Caparulo is rough around the edges (to but it mildly) and seems like he could have been the offspring of Bobcat Goldthwait; it works for him.

If it weren't for Vaughn's involvement there would be no reason to watch this documentary. That's not meant as an insult; it's the truth and the comedians understand. One of the more engaging moments is when country singer Dwight Yoakam gets Vaughn to sing along while they are in Bakersfield, Calif.

"Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show" is not nearly wild enough, and it's a little short on the comedy, too, but it is fairly interesting if you are looking to see what Vaughn's like with little sleep, or the up-and-down life of a stand-up comedian.

Final Score: 6 out of 10