Rob Schneider

By Dane Anderson

Date / Venue:  Sunday 13th October 2013, Sky City Theatre, Auckland

Rob Schneider may not be an A-list Hollywood celebrity but he has a familiar name and face that most people would've at least seen one of his movies. Star of such comedy films as Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo, The Hot Chick, The Animal, and just about every Adam Sandler film, it was on Saturday Night Live where he first got his break, writing and performing comedic sketches.

On Sunday 13th October 2013 at Sky City Theatre in Auckland, he was on stage for a stand up comedy show. There was no opening act as the audience who ranged in terms of age took their seats before Rob Schneider walked out on stage to a warm applause.

He started off welcoming and thanking the crowd before having a go at the New Zealand accent - "yeah nah", "I'm back" "fush & chups", and then as if anticipating any heckle he even mocked his most famous movie line "you can do it" from the movie The Waterboy. That set the tone for the evening as he moved from mocking his own county of the United States of America to talking about his heritage of being half Jewish and half Asian.

Compared to a movie, the comedy stage is where you can get away with more crass comments and many rude moments filled the entertaining and hilarious evening. He didn't miss a beat as he joked about being the age of 49 and the comparison between being slightly older compared to a youthful and exuberant 20 year old, the way men think and react compared to women, and even what it's like being married to a Mexican.

He brought his Mexican wife and young baby daughter, who had travelled with him, out on stage for the encore performance, which was a nice surprise and received a huge applause from the audience. He praised our beautiful country before mocking himself and how rich he is, how crap the latest Grown Ups 2 movie is and then leaving.

While Rob Schneider's movies are always are hit and miss, his comedy performance stood up and was a delight. He was hilarious, charming, down to earth, and unlike a lot of Hollywood celebrities he clearly doesn't take himself too seriously.

A thoroughly enjoyable funny evening, it's a shame it often doesn't translate in his films.