Vaughn ultimately roles the dice with comedians Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, and Sebastian Maniscalco; however, he does bring backup in the form of multiple guests including writer/director John Favreau and old friend Peter Billingsley (yes, Ralphie from A Christmas Story). Considering the pathetic state of stand-up today, it was surprising to find that two of the comics (Maniscalco & Ernst) are quite good. Maniscalco is by far the most consistent of the lot, offering some hilarious takes on modern masculinity and the club scene. But the entire show is nearly derailed by the next generation redneck comedian Caparulo, who thinks that a Subway worker hanging a testicle in someone’s BLT is funny. Wait a second. Is it? Well, not the way he does it. Anyway, Wild West hits more times than it misses, but what surprises the audience is that the film has more to offer than laughs.
Vaughn and director Ari Sandel complement the stand-up routines well by taking the time to investigate the real lives of these struggling comedians. Although some of the one-on-one segments come across as artificial, there are some interviews that hit home with a refreshing breath of sincerity. Surprisingly, Wild West manages to touch on issues like AIDS and Katrina (which happened to hit a tour stop) and bring an added weight to the whole production. More in tune with an HBO special rather than a theatrical release, Vaughn’s new endeavor does provide some good laughs and a measure of emotional involvement.