I want to start this review by talking a bit about the Eric Andre Show. Cringe comedy is a difficult style to make work, but Eric generally does it very well on his show. The formula for Eric's success is the genuine reactions from his guests on his talk show segments, and the genuine reactions from passerby's on his man-on-the-street segments. Although his show is comedic, Eric is not what I'd consider a comedian. Eric is a comedy catalyst, he is very skilled at creating a situation wherein an unsuspecting person is caught so off-guard by his antics that their genuine reactions of confusion, fear, disgust, or hatred come to light, which is very fascinating and humorous to watch. A good example of this is when Eric "threw up" in front of Lauren Conrad and proceeded to slurp the "vomit" off his desk; Lauren looks away, shocked, covers her mouth, gags, and flees from the stage. Eating vomit isn't funny, watching someone get disgusted by someone eating vomit is.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is, watching Eric Andre's newest stand-up special feels like watching a guy eat his own vomit for an hour. His style of comedy doesn't work for stand-up, because this format doesn't provide the viewer with the satisfaction of dramatic irony. Eric is in on the joke, the live audience is in on the joke, and the viewer at home is in on the joke. Unlike his show, there's nobody to laugh at. Eric is not a comedian in the traditional sense, his jokes are really bad, he isn't charming, he's excessively loud, and he's generally just a gross dude. All of those qualities are to his detriment in a stand-up setting, and they are all to his benefit in the setting of his show.
Much like a man eating his own vomit to entertain people, Eric's performance came off as forced and depressing. I found myself holding a distressed smile during the ordeal while hoping he'd say something funny or interesting, like when you don't want to hurt the feelings of the mentally handicapped student in your class that has been talking to you non-stop for the past five minutes.
Although it was a slog to get through, I'm ultimately glad I watched this special because it has given me a whole new appreciation for the Eric Andre Show.
