Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool

I have thoroughly enjoyed Mike Birbiglia's work for years now, but I realized watching "The New One" and then this special "The Old Man and the Pool" that he isn't a comedian. He is an exquisite storyteller and a talented comedian, for sure. But Mike has become a "humorist". His work, either written or performed live, is imbued with pathos, intelligence, poetry, and insight. A mediation on life, health, and death, his new special is genuinely funny and also moving. I identified with so many of his musings that I recognized myself in his presentation.

Mike Birbiglia is a humorist in the same breath as America's other favorite humorists. Mark Twain, Erma Bombeck, and Garrison Keillor. Watching this special was like sitting down and enjoying a good book. You finish it deeply satisfied and better for the experience.

But please bear in mind that, of course it's just my opinion and it's SO subjective, this comedy thing but... I personally strongly disliked it and I LOVE 'Birbigs', like all time faves loved :( - I think in part it's due to the, now commonplace occurrence in comedians of a certain age, trend of mortality and experiences with increasing frequency of doctors appointments, that's so off-putting - but I don't come to a stand up show to grow my anxiety and overall shpilkis ya know? I don't know, maybe something is wrong with me and I'm not appreciating and enjoying comedy as I used to but this seemed exceedingly lacking - maybe just stay home with Oona (Una?) from now on, instead of talking four years to bring us stress and lackluster -in short, this is something I'd expect from Niel Brennan, except he treats his time like a therapy session.

Was an interesting comedy. I recall that Mike danced around some pretty serious topics such as health, and even how that affected him and his perspective throughout life. But he seemed to find a gentle way to bring it back to the comedy and get laughter out of what might be considered topics most comedians would just avoid haha. Definitely a different comedic approach but can understand how Mike finds success among more of the shock style comedy that can exist today. It is good for the scene to have that balance and I think Birbiglia captured it well in this release. Would recommend for anyone looking for recent stand up.

On November 21, 2024, I had the hilarious pleasure of witnessing him in Detroit, MI, and oh, I was utterly smitten! His live performance outshone his latest special, which left me a tad underwhelmed. The new special on Netflix just didn't tickle my funny bone as much as The New One did, and the timing seemed off, almost as if it was recorded last year. The material felt disconnected from his live act, which was a riot. I think he missed a beat by not exploring his dad's stroke and his own fatherhood more deeply, as those bits were both poignant and hilarious. Seeing him live was a treat, especially the parts about his dad and daughter - it was comedy gold. I'm a huge fan, but this latest special just didn't make me laugh as much as I hoped.

I am not sure why but I just don't enjoy Mike Birbiglia's stand up routine. He is a bright enough guy. His stories make me smile sometime but I think he is, essentially, not that funny. This is not just this stand up special, but all of his. That is the reason I hesitated to watch this one; however, it came up on my recommended specials so I watched it. The special is filled with personal stories. I really dislike his delivery the most. Not sure why- but it gets on my nerves. If you like Mike this might be an enjoyable experience for you. I did like the venue. I think his outfit is from a clown closet.