Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was...

What happened was I had no idea what happened to Jamie Foxx so I thought to myself I didn't know Jamie Foxx did stand-up, and everybody was talking about this so I should check it out. Imagine expecting jokes and you get a confessional / testimonial of this guy's stroke journey, complete with gratitude and praising god. So I did not really resonate with this cause I don't really resonate all that much with Jamie Foxx and this discourse is clearly tailored to his black audience, and there are some funny bits here and there, I won't deny it, but not enough to keep me invested. I actually paused it straight in the middle weeks ago and finished it just now just for the sake of finishing it. This second part did have some funny stuff like the Denzel, Chappelle and the Trump impersonations (the last one was totally unexpected, but so, so good) and he ended it on a high with singing, so that was good. But not really worth my time if I'm honest. Not my thing.

I appreciated that it wasn't a traditional stand-up comedy show-he blended impersonations, music, and footage from past projects, which I found refreshing and creative. I also understand and respect his gratitude for a second chance at life. However, I didn't care for the frequent use of the N-word, excessive profanity, and how talk about God was mixed in with it. I believe he could express the same messages without the profanity and the N-word. That said, I loved seeing his daughters as part of the show, and it was clear how genuinely thankful he is for his journey and the opportunity to live For Life.

What Had Happened Was... is a slightly erratic and highly emotional special that addresses the biggest question straight away from the only perspective that really matters. It's Jamie Foxx setting the record straight in his own words in a deeply open fashion whilst still finding the time to get a few big laughs from what he's been through. His uncannily accurate impressions get time to shine and he spends so much of this special on the verge of tears which keeps it highly investing.

The atmosphere of the special is pretty strong thanks to a really responsive crowd who are always on board with what Jamie does and there's some great reactions from them. The musical interludes are equal parts funny and emotional and they elicit big reactions from the crowd as does his sermon-like storytelling, culminating in a well deserved standing ovation to ensure this ends on a pretty big high to counterbalance most of the issues beforehand.

This is not a comedy special. Jamie spends an hour explaining his health scare. It is obvious that this was a humbling experience. Rest assured, Jamie is the same funny and talented guy as he's always been. Jamie taps into his locker full of impressions to help him navigate the story. Some of his past roles are highlighted. You will see a lot of raw emotion throughout the special. He gives thanks to his family, God and the staff at Piedmont Hospital, in Atlanta, Georgia for helping him to get back on his feet. Both of his daughters make a special appearance. If you are a longtime Foxx fan then this is worth your watch.

So Jamie foxx is a talented guy guy but him going over his greatest hits reminding the audience of what the majority appears to be his church of why he is loved was less than entertaining. I know he's multi talented an actor, a singer and a comedian but this was a Comedy special not a conversion opportunity . Way too heavy in the conversion and on reminding you on why he's relevant but very little on the comedy . I'm a Christian and appreciate the attempt to bring strangers to Jesus but this was a very weird attempt at a comedy special. It was more a sermon than a standup and I can appreciate he's gone through a lot and been reborn but it feels like he's had a real crisis of confidence and while I'm glad he's back and healthy it's weird to see a man of his stature need to remind himself in public in a comedy special he's "important" but my problem is there were very few jokes and most were only about him and his status. Him being ray Charles or jango isn't impressive it's a recipe to be forgotten. He still got something but hopefully he gains sa bit more perspective and writes some original material that has nothing to do with his existing celebrity z.