Neal Brennan: Blocks

Neal Brennan is a treasure! A brilliant comedian with the most precise wit that just hits the spot. His comedy is like one of those copper scalp massage things. It's like he can reach into my brain and directly tickle it. As an aside, I was appalled and infuriated to hear of Chris Rock's lame public joke against Neal. And seriously? Chris Rock? In his entire body, he doesn't have an ounce of the brilliant comedy that Neal has in his little pinky. But back to this special, it's fantastic. I love the dead pan delivery and I absolutely love the jokes themselves. They're sharp, relatable, and fantastically executed. Neal, please don't make us wait another 5 years for the next special!

At one point you get tired of even the best comedians doing another Netflix special. You start to get their commonly shared condition of self-loathing, self-deprecation and self-harm and it diminishes your joy about what you see and hear and are supposed to laugh about.

Neal Brennan in this (and his previous) set unmasks this condition and gives you insight. And instead of laughing about him you will give him your sympathy and laugh for him.

That is what makes this Netflix comedy special (oddly categorized as "documentary") so much more sustainable.

There is nothing forced or acted out or phony about it. Neal Brennan is authentic even when, at the end he reveals a little optical trick that he skillfully prepared throughout the entire act.

The result is an extremely funny, entertaining and heart-warming exercise in self-analysis that many non-comedians can relate to, as well.

I get this guy on so many levels. He's not afraid to tackle the 'taboo' subjects. He is intelligent, funny, and real.

I saw a 1/10 comment that basically invalidated his mental health struggles with the stereotypical "no idea" what true sadness and clinical depression is really like. It is a mental health illness. And the classic, "oh he's got money so that somehow he must be happy".

The last five minutes will be forever stored in my brain for myself, and for others that I see fighting this insidious disability.

Anyone who has somehow fighting the good fight, get them to watch this. To laugh in the face of diversity, is the best laugh of all. Thank you Neal.

This is a pretty good special. I've been critical of the "jokes followed by things getting super serious" format, but he doesn't do it badly. It's still not perfect, and still feels a bit weird, but he puts a little more care into it than other specials I've seen (I don't think Iliza Shlesinger's latest did a similar format very well, for example).

The humorous parts are pretty good, too. It's overall a consistently engaging, funny, and sometimes thoughtful special, even if it doesn't blend all of that together into one seamless hour. I may be a little harsh on it, because at the end of the day, it's still well above average for a modern-day comedy special. I just wish I'd found it great, rather than good, and it was so close for me to being something more than just "good."

I don't love Neal Brennan but this special is very good. I know he was a co-writer on The Chappelle Show and a huge influence on Dave Chappelle and this special actually comes through. If I didn't know that I think I might feel he was doing an impression. He talks an about himself, his life, and the patently obvious things about people and race that many other people are afraid to say. I like that bold and unapologetic nature. His discussion of the pitfalls of being Liberal or Conservative is very smart. That is actually the best feature of this special- he is smart and it is smart. Brennan has an odd demeanor but he does seem to have real and relevant insight into himself and into human interaction. I do recommend this one.