Even though
it stars Tom Green, this MTV production is borderline mediocre.
Tom Green appears to have enjoyed his stay in Japan, but what he
had to offer this special program just wasn’t as consistently
funny as his former TV program. Perhaps Tom Green has worn out.
Or perhaps he hasn’t, because Japanese people are just not that
funny. In any case, Subway Monkey Hour has spurts of
ridiculous fun and simple blandness.
Here are some
examples of the fun and bland elements of this one-hour special.
Fun: Tom does Santa Clause and Tom invites monkeys inside his van. Embarrassing: Tom works a burger joint, Tom sings “pizza
pie” at a convention, and Tom performs as Elvis at a sacred place.
There is also a segment when Tom shops for unwashed girls’
panties, which is not only strange but kind of nasty (not just in terms
of business). Another segment, which seemed rather surreal,
involves Tom visiting an apartment corridor with little cubicles
serving as sleeping chambers. Not only does he dress up as a "fork", don’t ask why, but he wakes up a tired 40-year-old man for
a pointless conversation.
Subway Monkey
Hour
is mediocre at best. However, I will give credit where it’s
due. The special is edited rather well, especially the Japanese
“analysis” before each new segment. I didn’t catch the special
when it was on MTV and I’m glad, because at least the DVD omits
all the annoying commercials. Tom Green fans might enjoy this
more than I did, but don’t hold your breath for anything
special.
4 out of 10
The
Video
The budget
probably didn’t afford better cameras, which is why Subway
Monkey Hour was shot with regular digital cameras (or was
it; I couldn’t tell the difference, really).
6 out of 10
The
Audio
Don’t
expect much here, but for a TV program the audio is presented in
mediocre quality.
6 out of 10
The
Extras
Bonus Footage - Selected
footage from the MTV program. Funny, yet unrelated.
Tom Green Biography - As
if you didn't already know.
Theatrical Trailer - An
interesting choice.
4 out of 10
Overall
Subway
Monkey Hour
is almost pointless, but Tom Green does have some things to
offer in this special. With the abundance of consistent laughs,
the program is nothing to be excited about, not to mention the
handling of the video, audio, and features. I didn’t expect
much. The existence of the DVD release is questionable, but at
least Tom Green fans can have something to look at.
