Louis C.K. Oh My God

In 1987 George Carlin filmed his special at the exact same theater. When I watched Louis CK enter the stage, I had to think about Carlin's special and it felt in a way as if a part of George was still there. They even look a little bit alike.

Louis CK shows us in this amazing special that he is in every way worthy to carry on George's legacy. His jokes take you into the darkest places, and make you see the nonsense and humor behind it.

Louis is probably not even aware that he himself became an idol for a new generation of directors and artists, showing us with his special that even if the most horrible things take you down during your career, someday you will stand on your former hero's stage.

Thanks Louis!

Like most of the world, I love the comedy of Louis CK, even when his sitcom is difficult and not funny in the least, I am normally held by the ideas within the episodes. The third season perhaps didn't work quite as well for me as I would have liked but his standup remains consistently funny and clever and it remains so with this special/ Louis talks about aging, about living in the moment, about how great it is to simply be alive and off the food chain and several other topics. As subject they do rather fit within the subjects you would expect to hear from a standup, but Louis delivers them with a view and a conviction that leaves you in no doubt that he is speaking from his own experience and that this is more than just a funny bit.

This sense of honesty and realism helps a great deal to get into the material, because often you cannot help but agree, even when some of the things he says are pretty dark, it comes from a place of truth but not often spoken out loud. Of course this isn't enough on its own though and it helps that the things he put forward are delivered with imagination and timing, so the phrasing and delivering of the material is consistently funny. I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to the round stage but it works very well and the camera never loses Louis even though he keeps moving and engages well with the crowd – even sitting he is careful to talk over his shoulder at times. His easy delivery makes it look easy but of course it is not.

More accessible than his TV show, this special is dark, honest and very funny throughout.

I might still be processing, but at the moment, I'm leaning toward thinking we should separate a great piece of art from its creator's shameful social behaviors, judging each as separate entities as best as we can. With that in mind, as a free-standing product, "Louis C.K.: Oh My God" is truly hilarious.

Throughout, "Oh My God" points out keenly-honed absurdities that sit right under our noses. It's uproarious stuff.

We need laughter. Maybe the argument is that we can find something from someone else whose character is more worthy of our collective approval. But if this is where you're inclined to look for laughs, it's truly a hysterical ride. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful". Cheers!) - WATCHED IT? THEN WATCHLIST: "George Carlin... It's Bad for Ya! (2008)," "Stadium Anthems (2018)," "Jim Norton: Contextually Inadequate (2015)."

It was only in the last few years that I learned of Louis C.K. Fortunately, I've seen some of his material, including "Louis C.K. Oh My God". In this special (also released as a comedy album) he discusses things like how lucky humans are to exist outside the food chain, and what would happen if murder were legal. I'd say that C.K.'s humor corroborates what Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Richard Pryor proved: the problems in the world make for some great humor. Admittedly, C.K.'s humor isn't usually as edgy as Sarah Silverman's, but I've liked everything that I've heard from him.

In conclusion, I recommend the special. It deserved its Emmy win.

Louis C.K. has gone from strength to strength in the last 12 years, on an escalator to the top of the pile of stand-up comedians struggling to be relevant. And Louis C.K. is arguably the most relevant of them all. By discarding his material for each tour, he gives his fans exactly what they hope for every time he steps into the limelight.

Although much of his material doesn't tread new ground, it doesn't matter - his arsenal of jokes about growing old and waving goodbye to youth with a sigh are always fresh and bleakly hilarious.

His material comes from thoughts that most people have every day but never talk about, and the audience's secret familiarity with the subject matters makes laughing at them all the more relieving.

This is the one stand-up show that comedians everywhere would work their entire lives to emulate. But it's not made for comedians. It's made for you and me to join in laughing at the misery of the average life, and be completely comfortable with it.