Anthony Jeselnik: Bones and All

My ratings for his previous stand ups :

Caligula : 9,1/10

Thoughts and Prayers : 8,6/10.

Fire in the Maternity Ward : 7,8/10.

Jeselnik is one of my favorite stand up comedians, as it shows from my ratings. I think he's brilliant and hilarious, although i admit his shows are not for everyone. Too macabre and dark and twisted. So, if you are not aware of his particular style of humor, and you like your stand up a bit sanitized and conventional, attention : He doesn't fool around. He's dark and nihilistic as it can get.

This is my least favorite stand up of his. Truth be told, his shows are getting gradually less good. But they're still good, actually, very good. More than 50% of his jokes here are hilarious, i laughed hard and had a good time, overall. Still, BONES AND ALL is better than the average stand up tv show. It should have been longer, the jokes are not too many and the last 10-15 minutes are not as funny as the previous ones. But, he still got it.

Anthony Jeselink is so freaking hilarious. He does what he describes as Gallow comedy. He explains up front that Gallow comedy is a form of comedy where you take Subject matter that is horrifying to the point you want to cry about it, and instead make jokes with it. He does this brilliantly. He takes on every sensitive subject he can squeeze within the allotted time. His delivery method is somewhat deadpan, like Stephen Wright, but way more rude than Stephen Wright ever considered. The Netflix special is touted as being geared towards celebrating his 20 years of comedy. Twenty years? How have I missed this guy? He's brilliant.

Anthony Jeselnik is one of my favorite comics, and this is among his best works. Jeselnik is a master at misdirection, and he always finds new and unexpected ways to hit the punchline. You can tell a lot of time and energy went into this special, while some comics will just throw anything up on Netflix just for a payday. However, here, the jokes were all well done, and everything fit perfectly-also, props to Anthony for being his own person and not part of the Rogan crew. If anything, the points where you could tell he was making fun of other comedians were some of the best moments. All in all, it was a great special that I'm excited to rewatch.

As Norm said Jeselnik is one of the greats. He is his own and there is no one like him. But... If you know his material it doesn't really evolve or move. This time he told some stories from his own life which is rather unusual for him but the rest stays in the same structure based mostly on shock value and surprise. Many of the jokes were losing that just because it is his base line and you know where it is going. When you take look at Louis CK for example and look at his 90s stand up and then some more current specials it is such a difference in style and material it seems almost like a different comedian. For me Jeselnik needs to move a bit otherwise this might get old one day. But overall good stuff.

If you are offended, you don't get it, and he's not for you and that is ok! My dad, for example, can be a tough customer when it comes to stand up and his tolerance to irreverent jokes varies. However, Anthony grew on him as he learned to appreciate the dark and unexpectedly witty humor he brings to the table. The husband and I have been fans for all 20 years and are here for the rest to come. To put it simply, "we celebrate the guy's entire catalogue." I'm a stand up snob so I get bored easily with comics who lack creativity, leaning on self-deprecation, or profanity for its own sake. I legit laughed the whole time, but his brand of comedy is made for people like me. Remember this is Anthony Jeselnik the comedian, not the person. I've seen interviews where he explains/reminds folks that these are jokes. He makes light of the unending BS in this world in a way that gives you permission to laugh, but it doesn't make you a bad person. Nor does that qualify him as such. Loved the special, can't wait for the next one!

Disclaimer - I do NOT know Anthony Jeselnik. No one gave me anything to write this. I wish both were true.. he is hot and I have bills.