I’m going to start by showing my appreciation to Ari Shaffir for the beautiful gesture at the end of his latest comedy special, America’s Sweetheart. I’ve watched a lot of comedy specials on Netflix, but this is the first time I’ve seen the comedian individually praising the director, producer, cinematographer, editor, sound designers, and art directors, and with a carefully written paragraph for each one. This is a clear indication that Shaffir is a true artist, and more importantly, a gem of a man.
Of course, we’re talking about his latest Netflix special. Titled America’s Sweetheart, the central theme of Shaffir’s show is how we should try to find a little positivity in everything, especially things that are pretty dark. That may sound like preaching the very hackneyed idea of “live, laugh, love,” which I absolutely hate, by the way, but (thankfully) it’s actually nothing like that. Shaffir makes that pretty clear with his first batch of jokes anyway. And it turns out that the comedian is making fun of the whole positivity thing.
Director: Eric Abrams
Writer: Ari Shaffir
Star: Ari Shaffir
By now, Covid has become a staple for comedians, but Shaffir’s joke about Covid is still a standout. He simply asks what the only positive thing that came out of the pandemic is. While the audience is wondering, the comedian comes up with the answer: the death of a lot of bad people. It’s so simple it’s brilliant. Humour, I guess, is not everyone’s cup of tea. I mean, if you’re someone who absolutely can’t digest making fun of something like death, then this is where you go.
My personal view is that a comedian should be allowed to say whatever he wants without any restrictions. Of course, as a viewer or critic, I have the right to point out problematic things, especially when they’re not funny. For example, I absolutely can’t stand comedians in their fifties who have built their careers on patriarchal humour and are still glorified. Shaffir is not that at all, of course. His repertoire is filled with jokes that I really like.
They aren't necessarily funny, but they do get laughs. Take the first joke about the difference between heroin addicts and crack addicts. Shaffir prefers the former because they are less jarring, as their thoughts get jumbled before they can even string together a whole sentence. There is a bit of physical comedy in this joke, which is funnier than what he says. Then we have the joke about pedophiles and gymnasts. If you are a gymnastics enthusiast at any time other than during the Olympics, then you are a pedophile. Obviously, Shaffir is implying that many of the great gymnasts are actually underage, including the legendary Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast to score a perfect ten at the Olympics at the age of just fourteen (I'm showing off my Wikipedia-backed knowledge here). There's nothing wrong with loving gymnastics, but you know where to draw the line.
Anyway, Shaffir calling himself a low-level artist gives rise to another great joke involving both Kanye West and Vincent Van Gogh. In Shaffir’s words, they are high-level artists in comparison. And the comedian isn’t trying to be insulting here; he actually means it. While low-level artists like him are always weird, high-level artists are lunatics. That’s the joke here, which he obviously has to flesh out further to properly explain.
He brings Kanye’s anti-Semitism into the equation. Despite hating Jews, Kanye is a great artist in Shaffir’s book. As long as Kanye is churning out hit after hit, he doesn’t mind the part where the musician becomes grossly problematic. This is how he makes things positive in this “hateful” situation, but also pokes fun at the West; it’s really a win-win for Shaffir. Van Gogh, on the other hand, was a man who was not a “quiet” person, by any means. There's no doubt that he was a great artist, but Shaffir would have had trouble being friends with him. The comedian again highlights the positive aspect of this work: that someone like Van Gogh suffered throughout his life, but still managed to create such masterful art that changes the lives of so many people.
I realize I'm only talking about the good things, but the thing about comedy reviews is that there are only a few valid criticisms that can be made: either the jokes aren't funny, or they're problematic, whether racially or sexually (yes, I'm pointing out comedians who use their casual homophobia as an excuse for humor) or in any other way. Shaffir's comedy is fine if you hold it up to that standard. However, many of his jokes don't work. As a review, the jokes are not funny, and they are not funny at all.
Comments
Post a Comment