Kathleen Madigan: Bothering Jesus

The South needs another Civil War, because they did not learn their lessons the first time? Wow, that has to be the dumbest remark I have ever heard. On and on bashing Southerners, Christians, Conservatives as inbred stupid people. The jokes were not funny, just mean. Lots of other comics make the same points with less nastiness, so that anybody can laugh.

Kathleen Madigan's latest comedy special, Bothering Jesus, is a mixed bag. On the one hand, Madigan is a sharp and witty comedian with a knack for observational humor. On the other hand, her material in this special is often too safe and predictable.

Madigan starts off the special with a strong set about her Irish Catholic upbringing. She talks about her parents' strict rules, her fear of hell, and her experiences with Catholic school. This material is fresh and funny, and it's clear that Madigan has a deep understanding of her subject matter.

However, the rest of the special is less impressive. Madigan spends a lot of time talking about her love of wine, her hatred of flying, and her struggles with technology. These are all topics that have been covered by countless comedians before, and Madigan doesn't bring anything new to the table.

One of the biggest problems with Bothering Jesus is that Madigan's jokes are often too predictable. She sets up her punchlines too early, and there's never any real surprise. This makes her material feel stale and unoriginal.

For example, Madigan has a joke about how she's always getting lost. She says, "I'm so bad at directions, I once got lost in a straight line." This joke is funny, but it's also very predictable. We can see the punchline coming from a mile away.

Overall, Kathleen Madigan: Bothering Jesus is a mixed bag. Madigan is a talented comedian, but her material in this special is often too safe and predictable. If you're a fan of Madigan's previous work, you'll probably enjoy this special. However, if you're looking for something new and innovative, you may be disappointed.

I've never seen any of her other work so I have nothing to compare this with... and I only watched this because I read that it was so spectacularly bad, I wanted to see for myself.

She could have been forgiven for her politics if only she was creative and funny. Ben Elton is a good example of this. He's fanatically left- wing AND he makes me laugh. Also - he doesn't hector and insult everyone who disagrees with him.

I watch a lot of stand-up comedy.. my Netflix queue is chock full of every kind of comedian imaginable.. THIS is by far my favorite! Madigan is warped in just the right way. She isn't raunchy, she doesn't overuse the F word - but she does swear selectively, like a copy editor reaching for the perfect punctuation.

Her delivery is Friday casual.. rather like the conversation you might have with your buddies at the neighborhood bar. Her material is not run of the mill. I'm one of those stick in the muds who rarely laugh at jokes, but her bit about catfish had me in tears! I don't know how she comes up with these uncommon narratives.. such a refreshing diversion from the typical stand-up's usual fare of crotch-grabbing jokes and self-deprecating one-liners.

I loved this so much, and laughed so much, that I can't wait to track down every special that Kathleen Madigan has ever done. It'll be fun to see what other odd aspects of life she can poke fun at for our entertainment!

Kathleen is one of those rare comedians who has the knack to turn everyday life into hilarious tales... her delivery, timing, vocabulary, articulation and vocal expressions are all seamlessly and naturally woven together to bring belly laughs at every day situations - my favorite stand-up comic...