Pale Force (DVD)
APPROX. 76 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 2005 - MPA RATING: NR
" The power of pallor has never been realized with such pathos as in Pale Force.
Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.
The power of pallor has never been realized with such pathos as in "Pale Force."
The newest entry in the burgeoning field of super-hero parodies, "Pale Force" follows the adventures of Jim Gaffigan, better known as the muscle-bound super hero Pale Man, and his sidekick Conan O´Brien (voiced by Gaffigan), better known as, um, Weenie Boy or sometimes Wonder Girl or, most demeaningly, just as Conan. They blind their opponent with their paleness then finish them off by firing laser beams from their nipples.
Stand-up comedian Gaffigan kicked off the animated show as a segment on "Late Night with Conan O´Brien" in 2005, and brought new shorts (usually 3-4 minutes each) with him in numerous appearances over the next three years. I assume that Gaffigan and O´Brien are good friends because, in addition to the "pale" theme, the show´s primary shtick is its portrayal of Conan as a cowardly sissy who runs with limp wrists flapping, cries a lot and constantly urinates himself. His propensity for spontaneous micturation even saves the day sometimes, such as when his emissions short out a giant tanning bed they are about to be fried on by their deadly nemesis Lady Bronze played by Eartha Kitt (actually played by Gaffigan.)
Appropriating another super-hero trope, the heroes occasionally visit the Legion of Pale where they meet with other Pale council members including Larry Bird, Edgar Allen Poe, Nicole Kidman, The White Stripes, Elton John, Philip Seymour Hoffman (who plays a major role in one episode) and the State of Utah. The Legion is one of several instances in which the show constantly drops in celebrity pop culture references, an irritating trend manifested in its most extensive and least funny permutation in "Family Guy."
The most obvious point of comparison is the SNL-based parody "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" featuring Ace and Gary. The show´s intentionally simplified animation by Paul Noth even bears a resemblance to the Robert Smigel creation. Like the "Duo," "Pale Force" works its primary joke time and again with slight variations in the formula. No matter what the story, however, Conan will be humiliated. He is repeatedly mistaken for a little girl. He is plunged into a deep coma after being struck lightly by a beach ball then rushed back into sidekick duty while still comatose. And, of course, he pees himself over and over and over again.
The segment was very popular on "The Late Show" but it wears thin when you watch the episodes back-to-back for the 76 minutes included on this disc. That´s not a criticism of "Pale Force." It was designed to be watched in brief segments, and there are plenty of short comedy bits, animated or otherwise, that can´t sustain an hour or more of consecutive viewing.
