I've been to The Comedy and Magic Club and The Hollywood Improv, so I decided to try the Laugh Factory because I have heard that it is a good place. I could not have been more disappointed.
$45 VIP tickets at a comedy club? Only in LA. General tickets are $25. That gets you the privilege of being packed in like sardines, no table to put your drinks on, and the possibility of standing all night, as we were informed when we picked up our tickets. Amazingly bad service.
We finally got seated, after waiting in line for an hour. They only had a few waitresses, so it took a good 15-20 minutes to get our first round of drinks. Pretty annoying. They only serve two beers there, Bud and Bud Light. Two beers? What a joke. And they don't take American Express or Discover. This is the first comedy club I have EVER been to that does not take either of those cards.
The acts were terrible. The headliner was Dane Cook. He has to be one of the most unfunny comedians I have ever heard. I had some bad experiences at The Hollywood Improv with bad acts, but every one this night was pretty bad. How Dane Cook became so popular boggles my mind. I guess he is simply proof that people no longer know what comedy is. The dumbing down of America, if you will.
After the horribly disappointing show, we went out to get our car from the valet. 45 minutes later we got our car. 45 minutes!!!!! And about half of the crowd was still waiting. You could easily wait over an hour to get your car.
I have no idea why people like this place. I am usually willing to give a place a few chances, but I have absolutely no interest in going back to The Laugh Factory and would not recommend it to anyone. You can get much better comedy and much better service at The Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach or The Hollywood Improv over on Wilshire.
Pros: None that I experienced the night I went
Cons: Expensive, bad acts, terrible service
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