Critics harp on Seth MacFarlane’s use of comic cutaways on his popular animated show “Family Guy,” calling the technique lazy and uninspired. You know the technique – family patriarch Peter Griffin makes an aside, and suddenly it’s blown into a flashback of comic exaggeration.
Now, “Family Guy” fans can sample an entire hour of disconnected snippets with “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy,” out “>this month on DVD.
Not a smart move.
MacFarlane, a veritable franchise onto himself with “Family Guy,” “American Dad” and various side projects, must have felt the need to go the Full Monty in a new medium. So “Cavalcade” brims with dirty talk, sexually suggestive material and other R-rated fare he can’t get away with on Fox. And MacFarlance gets away with a ton already on his hit show.
But “Cavalcade” reminds us that some roadblocks can inspire comedic minds, and unfettered freedom must be used wisely. Only one time does the naughtiness here work to comedy’s advantage – a micro-gag in which Mario Antoinette tries out a few snooty put downs before settling on “Let them eat cake.”
For the rest of the hour running time, the raunchy bits feel like a teenager letting loose with every curse word his bedraggled parents forbid him to say.The most inspired moment comes when Wile E. Coyote finally kills that accursed Road Runner only to realize his life now lacks meaning.
Smart.
The DVD features a few running themes, like a Scotsman who talks back to movies (not funny) and a series of bits involving various types having sex (really not funny). Worst of all, the bits attack the usual suspects – rednecks, West Virginians, Republicans, pro-lifers and church goers – which makes the collection both lazy and mirth-free. One segment has Dick Cheney punching his lover in the face repeatedly.
Nothing screams an utter lack of edge in 2009 than taking potshots at Republican stereotypes.
And, on one occasion, the humor dips way below the belt, like the inclusion of a shaky Muhammad Ali in one animated sketch. Second place goes to a bit involving Magic Johnson’s HIV positive status.
It would take a master satirist to wring humor from those two subjects, but there’s nothing masterful about this “Cavalcade.”
Gratefully, some of the sketches last only a few seconds. Most linger way too long, like a boorish party guest or a “Saturday Night Live” sketch they put on just before 1 a.m. beckons.
“Family Guy” remains a hit or miss proposition, and MacFarlane’s vocal stylings are an unqualified hoot. But the animator is either stretched entirely too thin or thinks every half-baked comic impulse he have deserves to be seen.
Christian Toto is a contributing reporter for The Washington Times, MovieMaker Magazine and boxoffice.com. He blogs about film at whatwouldtotowatch.com
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