John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid

Comedian and Saturday Night Live alum John Mulaney's delivers again with his second Netflix Special. It is a rock solid ride for any stand up comedy fan. John's hilarious takes include stories about his dog, his wife, meeting Bill Clinton, and his Dad's beef with Bill Clinton. His style is very much an preppy young man who speaks fast and fits in as many jokes as possible per minute. He doesn't really tell jokes, he tells stories with his own hilarious takes on them. The pace is fast and and nonstop. This special is fantastic and flies by. It's worth watching multiple times. His delivery and stage presence are terrific.

I had already seen Kid (I think I watched them out of order) so my expectations were high.

I loved this just as much as his other show.

Again, the jokes translate across to a U. K audience and they were funny and clever.

John is not afraid to make fun of himself (very important for a British audience) and there is a great warmth about him.

He is a great performer using his physicality and voice to his advantage without becoming a clown.

A lot of the jokes are based on his family and are about quite mundane situations - like his dad buying a drink.

But he injects so much life and passion into them you can't help but get caught up.

Some U. S comics are too loud and brash for the UK - John hits the sweet spot for me.

I've seen this at least 5 times. John Mulaney's delivery is genius. I really think you can see this echoed in a lot of skits online nowadays- the way he frames his jokes and his intonation have spread into mainstream comedy. He can spin a very mundane topic into cry laughter. In particular, his commentary on the Catholic Church is very funny- he knows how to poke fun at his own upbringing and personality in a way that doesn't come off as attention seeking.

Many comics, like a Steven Wright or Mitch Hedberg, thrive on sets of one-liners. Others, like a Mike Birbiglia or Patton Oswalt, are storytellers. They tend to build to a climax, often inserting callbacks to earlier jokes for continuity. That creates more of a connection between the audience and the experience.

In this case, Mulaney sprinkles tidbits about his parents - especially his father - throughout a mostly biographical routine. All of those insights come together in his final anecdote about meeting Bill Clinton, maximizing its payoff. Superbly structured.

I'm generally a fan of Mulaney but most of the jokes just werent landing for me, simple as that. Slightly forced, not very funny jokes. Just my opinion!