Mike Birbiglia: The New One

When I first saw that Birbiglia was doing this show on Broadway, I wondered what it was all about as Broadway usually has some type of unique aspect that comes with it.

I was ready to give this special a high 8 or 9. I saw Thank God for Jokes when he was touring it years ago and it made me laugh throughout. When it was finally taped and put on Netflix... I'm not sure how the jokes were changed over time(because I couldn't remember when I saw the show live) but they were definitely changed because the jokes didn't land the way they originally did.

With this special, I think Birbiglia is bouncing back. With an almost 90 minute runtime, I wasn't sure where this special would go. One thing is for sure, Mike is your friend. Mike is an excellent storyteller. There is one thing that happens halfway through that utilizes the stage. I think that propels the special into its last act.

This special centers around a lot of things before finally reaching fatherhood. As his daughter is still young, this is a good start. It'll be interesting for his daughter to age a couple of years and new material to appear from those experiences. Comedians can usually gather some of their golden material once they've married, had kids, divorced, and had huge life events. I'm sure Birbiglia will be no different.

This is a must watch. There aren't funny moments throughout but there are those clever quirks that we've all come to know and love from Birbiglia. Some specials will always be funnier than others but Birbiglia solidified himself into a top storyteller long ago.

I have missed him on Netflix! I loved his first three standup routines..especially the one that centered on Catholicism. I was very sad that he disappeared...but was thrilled that he finally had a new show.

He's obviously had some pretty serious health problems, which is why this delightful and charmingly funny man disappeared. He's come back with some bitterness and fear, and I get it. But this new standup is a little dark...

I liked the "Christ is born, Christ has risen, Christ will come at 10." silliness much better.

I found this special hilarious but heartwarming - I felt every part of his emotional roller coaster and by the end, in his words, felt very full.

The first half is a wonderful journey through the perilous anxieties one has before deciding whether or not to have kids, and is very deep and introspective. Mike lays out all the reasons you shouldn't have kids, and they're all right.

But then he's countered with "but you'd be a good dad," and that's that, he has a kid.

This is where the disconnect happened for me, and is where I just felt disappointment. It's as if Mike spends the rest of the bit ignoring what he just talked about, and goes into how miserable of a parent he is without any self-reflection as to maybe he shouldn't have had kids.

It's not just Mike, we all need to consider that maybe we shouldn't have kids until we sort ourselves out: climate change, concentration of wealth, and all the existential threats coming down the pipe are all reasons why you should not have your own kids. You should adopt or foster. Sorry you miss out on what could've been, but such is life.

I'll be curious to revisit Mike years later to see if he's still miserable. Good luck. You have my empathy, but not my endorsement.

Ye shall not round the corners of your heads. Leviticus 19:27