Jim Norton is a total perverted freak, but you kind of root for the guy. He's been on the fringe of success in the world of stand-up, radio, and TV for years, but he's never quite broken through. He's a regular on Opie & Anthony, appeared often (and usually very cleverly) on Comedy Central's Tough Crowd, and was a supporting actor on HBO's Lucky Louie, and none of them have turned into the hit that could make Norton a household name. Perhaps he doesn't care. Someone who tells stories as dirty as Norton does in his latest HBO special, Monster Rain, probably never wants to be a household name. A guy who bases several of his riffs on his bizarre sexual behavior with men and women is never going to stand next to Sacha Baron Cohen on the teen choice awards. But Norton has worked so hard for so long that you want him to breakthrough to another level. Kind of like Colin Quinn and Norm MacDonald. But then you watch Monster Rain and you realize one crucial thing that's going to hold Norton back - he's just not that funny yet.

Norton runs into the same problem in Monster Rain that a lot of gross-out comics do, he often sounds like he's pushing the envelope just to push it. We can't even tell you what the title refers to without asking for age verification, but it's also just not that funny. You recoil at a few of things that Norton likes to talk about, but you don't laugh that hard. It's not always clever to be gross. Sometimes Norton finds a good riff and he's got an easy-going, relaxed style on stage that makes him interesting, but Monster Rain is surprisingly light on laughs. It's not light on moans and groans, but that's not the same thing. Someone should tell Jim.