When Dave Chapelle had his apparent breakdown in 2005, Comedy Central was in a bind. His was their highest rated show and they didn't have enough new footage to create an entire season out of it.
They turned to the perfect clone: a Honduran named Ned Arnel Mencia, better known by his stage name, Carlos Mencia. Mencia gave them "Mind of Mencia," a cheap knockoff of "Chapelle's Show," but a successful one at that. Now Carlos is put to the test with a stand-up DVD, "No Strings Attached."
Mencia's standup is as controversial as his show. He is often accused of being a plagiarist by other comedians, so people that follow standup comedy may find "No Strings Attached" to be just that. Mencia's brand of humor is not for members of the Politically Correct Patrol. His routines about race and the handicapped may give some a heart attack.
Unfortunately the jokes have been told before, and told by better comedians. They'll get a laugh but not much more than that. Carlos sometimes also goes into bashing people who are offended by his content, which is funny, but he drags it out for way too long. For example, he rambles on about an encounter he had with an Arab on the street arguing about whose race is tougher while calling each other sophomoric names. He also talks about when he kicked a handicapped guy for cutting him in line for a ride at Six Flags.
Mencia's jokes may not be the most original, but if there is one factor about him that is redeeming it's that he has the gall to say what's on his mind. Mencia does not care what other people, critics or executives think about him, and the phrase "you've gone too far" is not part of his vocabulary. That's something to be respected, but the problem is there are better people who perform this brand of humor.
As a DVD, "No Strings Attached" is an average package. You get two versions of the special: the version broadcast on Comedy Central and an uncensored version with 20 extra minutes of footage. The only bonus feature on the disc is an old episode of "Comedy Central Presents..." featuring a young Mencia who looks and acts more like George Lopez than the Dave Chapelle/Richard Pryor-like character he is now.
If an angry Honduran ranting about the border as a form of standup comedy sounds new and exciting, check this DVD out. But if searching for edgy, original comedy, one would be better off finding something by Jim Norton or Bill Burr.
