John Mulaney: Baby J

This might be John Mulaney's most honest appearance to date. He comes off as arrogant, bitter and deranged... And it's great!

I can honestly say it's the hardest I've laughed in a while. I've always liked Mulaney, and this turn into a darker comedy is unexpected but very pleasant. In allowing himself to be unlikeable he also allows himself to be relatable, more profoundly moving. I feel I am laughing with him, at him and at myself at the same time.

It's also impressive how he manages to talk about rehab and drugs, and generally very heavy topics, while remaining elegant. He doesn't ressort to being crass, he's just a drier version of his former self.

This special has made me excited for what the future holds for Baby J. He looks healthier, and I thank the 12 people who saved his life for the many years of chaotic laughter yet to come.

It's John Mulaney. He's funny. I laughed.

But compared to his other specials? This was underwhelming.

Not bad by any stretch and certainly worth the watch.

Part of what I enjoy so much about him is that, yes, his stories are ridiculous and, yes, his takes are unique, but his ability to describe things creates such hilarious imagery that his humor can make use of. The variety of topics he'd hit in his first few specials were incredible and let that whole dynamic work it's magic.

Here, he's still funny as hell, but he confined his material entirely to his addiction and recovery. That's totally fine in and of itself, since that's been his life in recent years. But the grim subject matter takes the variety out of the show, making it really monotonous. It was like an hourlong story with plenty of events, but it just kept going and going.

I won't be able to rewatch this special. I'm a longtime fan and I hate to see him in this light, especially since I can't imagine him actually doing any of these things. Maybe that makes me more biased than average. Do with that what you will. Regardless, I hope we get more content like his previous stuff, except without his previous *sources of inspiration.*

The answer is YES (although differently so). Ok, okay.. Now I love Mulaney, I think he'll be long considered one of the greats - he's HUGELY fun and dynamic and of course wildly clever as well as hilarious (ya thought I better add that last one just to cover the bases) - Now, I would never want him to forsake his health for his art or selfishly so, for our entertainment and guess what? He doesn't have to because he's just as entertaining as ever and I couldn't be happier for the guy - I wish him well and look forward to many more specials over the years ( at least 3more than he would have had he continued down that path right? Haha, nah but I get it, trust me.. I get it)

Kudos on whoever came up with that kind of production design and immediate opener for a standup special. It had really become boring to hear an announcer and witness the dude get on stage under applause. Both on technical and creative efforts, the visual aspects of this production are winners. The standup stands out thanks to how the "man talking on stage" is packaged.

And about the content: Yeah, enough of a differentiator to have a drug addict's rehab story told from such a perspective. Mulaney's reactions to the interview he gave to GQ was a highlight. And there was other good stuff, like the exchange between him and the 5th grader among the audience. (Not sure if that was planned/real, or improvised, though).

Still, there was something a bit off-putting, maybe even scary about the whole experience.

Mulaney thanks the intervention 12 for saving his life. But does he really register how dark a place he was in?

Certain remarks suggested he DID understand he was going to die of an overdose or of other physical outcomes of substance use. And it is totally understandable that, as a performer, he might intentionally avoid sharing on stage the darker memories and concerns he had had during the period. Also, no mention of his ex-wife looked like a marker on a personal level just to steer away from whatever caused his downfall.

Yes, that was a downfall. Not as an entertainer, but as an organism. Regardless of how audiences may be lead to perceive substance use, it is a health scare for good reason. People die on that. And in huge numbers.

As he told his story, I got the feeling that he was not distanced enough from his addicted self enough to make me say "this dude is off the hook for good".

Not that I was expecting a direct delivery of the moral of the story, but I thought there should be more than that soft advice of "Don't do it" to that 5th grader, something addressing the similarly troubled adults in the audience.

I just hope John Mulaney will not be in need of further interventions, and that the humor he found under the conditions can be replaced with healthier sources of inspirations in the future, regardless of the public enjoying such material or not.

I would have given a higher rating if not for the seemingly endless "Al Pacino" phone call skit. That was not funny at all, and it went on and on and on. But everything else was really good. My husband and I had a lot of fun watching this. I think my favorite skit was when he "misunderstood adult dating dynamics." Don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just leave it at that. Probably not the funniest part of the show for most people, but it had me laughing hard. I think the Al Pacino bit is my only complaint.

Some of these skits were pretty brilliant really, in my opinion. Some were too much of a stretch, but they still work if you're not a nit-picker like me.

Not quite as good as Comeback Kid and the other Netflix one, but definitely not a disappointment in the least.

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