Bill Engvall: Aged and Confused begins with Engvall stating that he is beginning to become the kind of grumpy codger he doesn't want to be - the kind of person he loathed growing up and tried to refrain from becoming. You know the type; the angry, bitter old man who proclaims "get off my lawn" at innocent young children each day. Engvall states his recent attitude-change stems from the craziness and the inconsistency of the world, stating, a philosophy I truly believe, "the older I get, the less I know." After a ten minute iteration of this, Engvall abandons this idea in favor of telling funny stories about his family, which, while not frowned upon, doesn't adhere to the unbelievably loaded idea of an older, middle-aged man grappling with age and trying to function in a technology-heavy, extremely confusing world.
Engvall instead focuses much of the comedy special on clean stories involving his family, some humorous, some not, some charming, some redundant, all questionably forgettable after long-term completion of the special. Engvall has a delightfully simple delivery to his material that compares him to the common-folk he is clearly catering to, judging by his popularity with "The Blue Collar Comedy" crew featuring Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White, and Larry the Cable Guy and the audience director David Higby frequently cuts to, and has a lax feel to his approach to taking the stage. What unfolds is an acceptable retread of material that, while personal, feels familiar and even dramatized in order for maximum comedic potency.
Give Engvall credit, as he talks about his recent colonoscopy, his battle with age, and his efforts to spice up love with his wife with a pleasant inoffensiveness and cleanness to his material, never becoming wrapped up in ideas too vulgar or dialog too offputting and controversial. Doing what Engvall is doing is almost as brave as going on stage and reciting dirty-minded, filthy stories about the aforementioned topics, with more emphasis on lewdness than actual narrative flow. Engvall is a really relaxed storyteller, and provides an energy that reminds one of sitting out back with family and the neighbors, talking, debating, conversing, and just reminiscing. That alone explains why he has adapted such a loyal following. Yet, Aged and Confused is a bit of a poorly-conceived special to showcase such talent, especially given the misleading title and the plethora of great material Engvall already has under his belt.
Directed by: David Higby.
