Unfortunately, a rash of bootleg and unauthorized DVD offerings were released in the wake of the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" and the success of Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White and of their subsequent movie with the same name. That's why I decided to review Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again. My purpose? To help readers tell the difference between bootleg and uauthorized material and the polished, hilarious films the group is known for.

For nearly four years the foursome toured together to sold-out audiences nationwide as The Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Knowing they had something, the group recorded an original film entitled Blue Collar Comedy Tour in 2003. With the success of that tour and its immense popularity among comedy fans, the first movie spawned a hilarious sequel called Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again.

The first scene in the movie is an interesting one. For a few minutes we see the gang on the tour bus much like a band would see them while going over a set-list for the evening show. The difference here is a hat from which numbers are drawn to set up who goes first. None of them mind going first, second or third but nobody wants to go last. The reason for not wanting to go last is never said aloud but one soon realizes he who goes last has the least amount of time to connect with the audience let alone make a point. 

Although each comic is from the south, there's a lot of humor here to identify with and nobody will feel lost. Engvall, up first on the roster, is like Foxworthy -- he's a clean comic -- neither angry nor offensive when talking about touchy subjects. The best part of Engvall's segment involves his observations about women being detail oriented and men not. His bits about hunting had me howling with fits of laughter. His best moment comes when discussing the one- in-a-million true story about his airplane hitting a deer. He had to be delayed, of course, and phoned his wife. "You will never believe this," he told her. "Our plane hit a deer." This remark was followed by dead silence -- and then, "Did you hit the deer on the ground?" Engvall dead-pans, "No honey, Santa was making another run."

Ron White, who is an acquired taste, takes the stage after Engvall. He's crude, rude, lewd and has an attitude. Evidently, he's lived hard but , because of a car accident, become a somewhat better person. He offends some with his racial and  low-brow humor. But sometimes his jokes hit the mark and you can't help laughing at them. White's best bets include but are not limited to discussing the fact he married into a rich family and loathes his inlaws. White also talks about his manager lecturing him that he should no longer be a total jerk to anyone, anywhere period. He has to bite his tongue when encountering one fan who can't stop talking about Garth Brooks and how if he (the fan) likes someone he will camp out 5 or 6 days to get tickets. Because White is under his manager's instructions, all he can think to say is, "You should take him camping with you."

Oddly enough it's Foxworthy who may be the most offensive and vulgar despite being known as the epitome of a family man. He makes jokes about homosexuals, bodily functions and parts, and so on. Foxworthy's best routine is his bit on embarrased parents and kids and how both work against one another. 

Larry the Cable Guy takes the stage last. He's likeable but extremely low-brow. Although his timing and jokes are fine, he doesn't always connect, and viewers won't be able to put their finger on why they're not warming up totally to him. In all fairness, he has the least amount of time to bond with the audience, but his skill should have carried him through.

The DVD also includes the new song "Blue Collar Boys Ride Again" which is about each comic's beliefs concerning the world at large. Having been comics longer than Larry the Cable Guy, White, Foxworthy and Engvall get off the best lines here. 

I found Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again a highly enjoyable movie. Even though its lowbrow humor will offend some, it's worth viewing by anyone considering joining the Blue Collar Comedy Tour fraternity -- and, naturally, by rednecks everywhere.

(Released by Paramount Home Video; not rated by MPAA.)