Doug Loves Movies is a show starring comedian Doug Benson (also of the Benson Interruption TV show and podcast), in which he tells us about movies he loves, banters with a selection of guests, then plays a couple of party games. In terms of regular live audience pull, this show pretty much rules the roost. Since the show is a massive success already, I was reticent to review DLM, but now seems the time, due to a slight current obsession.
Host - Doug Benson
Doug Benson is a comedian for whom brand is paramount to his performance. He is the archetypal stoner comic, mixing long wandering riffs and off the cuff remarks, using an inimitable charm and defined perspective to create both his comic persona. All, crucially, to cultivate an audience. Pulling in impressive crowds to see him perform as a stand up or in one of his hugely successful podcasts, Doug has made himself a powerful internet entity. That this crowd shares a large overlap with podcast listeners means that his podcasts, with their distinct formats (and almost exclusively live recording) bring both the people to perform to, and a great calibre of people to perform with. This certainly has been boosted by his shows recording taking place before one of the larger LA comic get-togethers (Comedy Bang Bang) meaning guests are ready made, only needing an extra hour to be able to do both shows. This distinct ‘stoner’ branding, combined with an ever improving hosting ability, make Doug Loves Movies a show with a great base to build from, and build on it he does.
The show is essentially a kind of game-show, therefore it is vital that the game is simple, interesting, and understandable. The ‘Leonard Maltin Game’ is just that, a simple bidding game in which the guests announce how many names in a cast list it would take for them to name a movie. This allows for Doug to very occasionally lose track of the game; for the audience to have that delectable ‘I know the answer and they don’t!’ feeling, and for it to be reasonably explainable on the fly. Though even seasoned guests are more than capable of getting it wrong themselves, Chris Hardwick’s signature failure being a prime example of this. The games ease allows for banter to be a constant part of the show, meaning that whilst the game pushes it forwards, the guests are still able to shine, rather than being stuck in a tight format. Giving space for the guests, be they louder (Pete Holmes) or quieter (Zach Galifianakis) offers all an ability to show their humour wit or knowledge.
Promo for the Doug Loves Movies live show
Within the last few months Doug, as a way to maybe streamline the first half of the show, has introduced the mildly confusing ‘Build-a-Title’ game. This has a profound ability to confuse some of the guests, some simply giving up before it begins. The game involves putting different titles of movies together, onto either the beginning or end of an arbitrary starting film. To cull an example, ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ could be extended either by using a film title either ending with ‘World’ or beginning with ‘Dad,’ and the next guest repeats the formula, now including the new film. Much as the game is admittedly so-so, Doug’s dealing with it, set against the guests wildly varying ability make for a really enjoyable aperitif to the main event, allowing for the discussion to stray a little less from movies than it did prior to the games insertion.
Whilst Doug is the vital heart of the show, the people he surrounds himself with support him gamely. As mentioned above, his distinct personality always pulls in crowds, meaning that the podcast always starts with a great atmosphere. Often when many of the smaller, more formless podcasts attempt live shows, the crowd can often be so quiet as to be utterly distracting, their reticence be down to not knowing the podcast, or simply so innumerous that they cannot make their presence felt. No comedy album would be released with a crowd who didn’t ‘get’ it, and much as podcasts take an offbeat approach to their creation, unreceptive crowds will eventually prove too great a hurdle. Set alongside the quality of the audience is the quality of the guests. Originally simply comedians and actors who had an hour to spare, the show has now grown to a level where an appearance proves a great advertisement; involving them in a group which may be unaware of their latest work or it’s availability. This would be shown by the repeated appearances of people like Morgan Spurlock and Edgar Wright, who use the show as a place to tell a different collection of people about their latest creations. Whilst Doug also curates the comedians he brings on, sharing the stage with comedians across the spectrum of success and style. This meshing of quality guests gives the show an air of quality paired with a great comic sense, whilst even when the games become rushed affairs the discussion and conversation barely lets up.
He's also got some freakin' awesome shirts available in his store.
It is difficult to say how much the game plays into the show. Obviously it is the cornerstone, bringing with it a through-line; but also brings with it restraints, meaning when one competitor is clearly superior to the others, the game can pass quickly, tightening up the show. From a purely professional standpoint, the ‘show’ as a concept is at it’s best when played by guests who all know and are good at the game, meaning the stakes are constantly raised, each goading the others into greater and greater gambles, emphasising the successes and failures that result. This brings the audience closer, cheering for successful low guesses, or groaning at something horribly wrong. It is fairly clear though that the podcast is at it’s funniest when Doug has the least responsibility to limit the show time-wise, allowing the show to divert into all kinds of unforeseen directions, giving it a wonderful free-form sense that always supplies podcasts with the charm and good nature inherent to their success.
It’s a really quality affair, with a streamlined game, fantastic guests, and an increasingly impressive host in Doug Benson. Slick, smart, made fascinating with guests whose indie movies hopefully receive a real boost by their presence, Doug Loves Movies is a quality outfit. Stoner hoody and all.
Doug Loves Movies is available on iTunes or at www.douglovesmovies.com. Doug is also one of those people very suited to twitter, housing himself at @DougBenson. That’s all.