Mark Normand: Soup to Nuts

Constantly pacing back and forth, same basic mannerisms for every punchline. How many times is he going to grab his chin? Waiting for the funny, still waiting. Starts a rhetorical question, followed by two to three Constantly pacing back and forth, same basic mannerisms for every punchline. How many times is he going to grab his chin? Waiting for the funny, still waiting. Starts a rhetorical question, followed by two to three Constantly pacing back and forth, same basic mannerisms for every punchline. How many times is he going to grab his chin? Waiting for the funny, still waiting. Starts a rhetorical question, followed by two to three.

Combines a great, unique delivery with very funny material. His style is often like a throwback to comedians from before the Carlin/Pryor era but his jokes and stories are, in no way stale. There are just so many great comedians with specials out there now and hopefully this doesn't get lost in it because it's a gem of a show. And it's nice knowing that the next generation will have guys like Normand and Morril around for a long time. It's hard to review stand up specials without ruining the jokes, but if you like humor about things like having sex with down syndrome people, you will enjoy this show.

I didn't like how he recycled some jokes and premises from out to lunch, but overall this special was great. It had me laughing out loud in a way that I haven't been capable of in some time. I'm getting aware of how he forms his jokes, having watched/listened to hours of his material, yet the punch lines remain pleasurable. I can't think of another performing comedian like him. Some similarities to other comics, some similarities to bygone eras yet still fresh. I hope he continues to grow in popularity. I hope this type of comedy continues to grow in popularity. Some of us still want to have fun.

Setup, punchline, setup, punchline. This works great for brilliant, imaginative comedians like Mitch Hedberg and Dimitri Martin, but Mark's payoffs are more at home at a high top in a bar.

You can't argue that Mark isn't clever, but actual laughs are sadly sparse.

The rest of this review is dedicated to the brave men and women who created this special. It was directed by James Webb, who discovered Mark in deep space, tapping his space suit's radio link saying, "is this thing on?" It was filmed in Chicago as established by an early shot of Chicago and the background sounds of hot dogs unwrapping.

In true Mark Norman fashion of speed balling the jokes, Normand fits more jokes into a single 50 minute set than most comedics would have spread across five different specials. The low tone zingers are plentiful, but so is the constant pacing back and forth and flailing hand gestures that become borderline nausea inducing. The jokes are wide ranging, but they never really push the edge or go too far. As social commentary, Soup to Nuts is a safe play. While I never found myself laughing hysterically, those who are removed from watching comedy regularly will probably find it just satiable enough to keep watching.