Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special

I personally don't think this needed an audience or a stage. Presentation doesn't matter only the material. And in my opinion the material is fantastic and had us laughing really hard.

You know it's a bad sign when people say a comedy special made them cry. Yes, this is Norm MacDonald doing a show (sort of) but it's like when I saw George Carlin perform live at the Count Basie Theater in late 2007. Carlin walked on stage looking feeble with a few papers he had which he placed on a stool, I assumed he was using that as reference. The entire show felt like a rehearsal for doing the show live as the HBO special the following March.

Here, Norm MacDonald is basically practicing to do the show that would be the real special which he hoped to film. The timing is a little off. He has no audience to gauge the quality of one joke compared to another or bounce things off of and ad lib. Performers aren't born with the gift to be perfect every time they perform, it takes A LOT of preparation and hard work and this show is an example of that work and not Norm at his best during the real specials filmed

I feel like I have to make that point since Norm MacDonald was far more popular and nearly ubiquitous 25 to 30 years ago. He was seemingly everywhere and everyone seemed to be talking about him. A generation has grown up and another is growing up since then. If you are relatively uninitiated, this is not the place to start even if it is the one getting the most press.

All that said, it is nice seeing a hopeful Norm practicing his material and yes, it is poignant knowing he was doing this material while also facing such an ordeal like cancer. The value of work is it gives you a different focus and added purpose to keep fighting; otherwise you just rest and try not to think about being sick.

Norms not the greatest stand up ever......Howeverhe is a top 20, He is however the best panel guest ever and his norm macdonald live show was the best ever......Norm's full comedic body of (Especially his book) work solidifies him as one of the most prolific and greatest comedians ever, EVER.....This special was just average for him, Considering there is no Audience, You can kind of tell he's laboring at times, And knowing what we kno now, Some of the jokes make u sad rather than Laugh...........Watch this as a memorial for the GOAT and listen to Chappelle, Sandler, Conan, Molly Shannon Letterman and Spade tell stories about Norm and Regale the people with how brilliant Norm truly was.

As a big fan of Normie, I was eagerly waiting for the drop of this set. Norm had hoped to get back to stand up once Corona was done, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. Norm shot this special at home in his mind practice for a set in front of an audience.

The material is classic Norm; you go from laughing non stop to feeling emotional and crying. We as the audience can tell he was struggling in pain, he talks in detail more about death and what will or could happen.

The show has a thirty minute I want to say " post show, " but Netflix isn't calling it that, more of a analysis of Norm's life; Sandler, Spade, Molly Shannon , Letterman and Dave Chappelle share moments about Norm.

This is definitely a special you need to watch more than once as there are small things you will miss between viewings.

Love ya Normie, Rest in Peace.

Well the old chunk of coal is back it again one last time. This special was certainly special for the fans and especially Norm as its a one-take stand-up special without an audience. The lack of an audience does make the rhythm unique as you don't hear any cheering or laughing to interrupt the flow. The material is a little rough in some spots but any fan of Norm can guess how the jokes could've turned out had Norm spent more time on it. But the jokes hold-up and the remembrance by some his friends at the end of movie make it so much more endearing as you can see how much he touched people.

All in all, I would recommend this special for any fan of Norm as well as anyone who could use a mood lifter as the final discussion from Norm's friends make the tribute all the more delightful.