In this HBO special, Out of England, Gervais brings a good bit of the comedy that made him big across the pond to America and throws in a bit of something new as well. He starts off by talking about his charity work, mostly his helping with AIDS, autism and cancer. While these aren't normally laughing matters, Gervais' over-the-top smugness on his work with charities is downright fun. He then goes on to talk about obesity and the absurdity of this disease.
Gervais then spends quite a bit of time on AIDS, not only the origin of the disease in humans (which is a pretty funny bit), but also a pamphlet that was put out to help lessen the risk of contracting HIV. This pamphlet goes through 10 alternatives to intercourse, and while the first couple of suggestions are absurd, they only get worse as the list goes on.
One of the funniest segments from this set involves nursery rhymes and fairytales and the odd moral messages that these tales seem to convey. And before wrapping up the show, Gervais pulls out a list of animal facts he got off of the Internet. He discusses everything from being able to lead cows up stairs but not down, to mountain goats butting heads so hard that their hooves fall off. Each of these items of note is accompanied by a rather amusing re-enactment of the events being discussed.
The only special feature on Ricky Gervais: Out of England is an interview with Gervais about his act. While not a must-watch, it is still enjoyable and quite long.
Part of Gervais' charm is his arrogance coupled with feined ignorance. It really is a good combination that works well and makes his stand-up enjoyable. While not all of his material is new, American audiences will most likely not recognize any of it and enjoy how easily he flows between the various topics. If you've liked his other works, then his latest stand-up act is a must-see.
