Sebastian Maniscalco: Is It Me?

He tries hard, one might say too hard and always have tried too hard but his act just isn't funny. Really never was.

His whole act is starting a story, doing some physical stuff and voices and just leaving it for the next one with no real punch lines. Can't remember a single laugh, the most was probably a single chuckle somewhere.... And after all these years does he himself know what exactly he is trying to do? Is it a persona or a poor impersonation? Because it feels a lot like the latter.

I still can't watch him and not get reminded of Dice. But that's just the extent of it. Dice was on a whole other level and sadly even after all these years Sebastian has failed to improve his act above an opening act.

Didn't really feel much like a stand up special. Just some guy who tells stories and is a little funny. Lacked punchlines. Some of the stories even cut short. I was waiting for the Asian punch line and got nothing, it's almost as if he forgot the joke, "it matters he's Asian" then he gets dude tracked by another story and forgets to go back to that one. But the hardest part was the ending. Like a soda can without the bubbles is the best way to describe it. Genuinely bad climax and just random with no point. In all honesty I would have given it a two, but some of the stories gave me a couple of chuckles. But yeah that's about it. No good.

Sebastian is one of the great stand-ups but no stand-up can catch 'lightning-in-a-bottle' every time. Maybe he lost a little form through the lockdown, maybe he got a little flabby through playing stadium gigs. Or maybe not - comedy is an elusive art-form and there's no formula for making it work every time.

There are great moments but it's quite far into the show before it starts to catch fire; such as when Sebastian nails the absurdity of his local schools' inclusivity policy. He also has a lot of fun playing with the audience's over-sensitive reaction to an ethnic reference, and the story of his trip to see "Hamilton" is a reminder of how good he can be. But on the whole the show never really takes off.

Disappointing, but he'll be back one day with a killer show - he's one of the best and great performers like him don't stay down for long.

Good grief that's hard to watch. He thinks that making faces, bold gestures, talking like a working class Italian immigrant is funny. The bits have no arc. There's a beginning and then he flatlines. The most forgettable stories with no insight. His observational skills are puny compared to Seinfeld. Someone close to him needs to tell him, don't do that again. I kept thinking of Steve Martin talking to John Candy in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles":

"And by the way, you know, when, when you're telling these little stories, here's a good idea. Have a point. It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!"

Sebastian has always been a riot. I discovered his comedy at the height of the pandemic. He's on my top list of comedians. This special is hilarious, just like all his other specials. He's the most consistently funny comedian out there right now. I love how he makes fun of the overly sensitive American culture and tells it like it is. He pokes fun at everyone, which is how comedy should be. I actually had tickets for his Cincinnati show last year but decided not to go due to Covid concerns. I won't be letting Covid stop me next time he rolls into town. Watch this special and prepare to be entertained.