Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh

I just adore this special. Gary Gilman is so bright and articulate. He is a great storyteller. This is a very personal and self reflective look at his battle with crippling depression, and more. Gulman is a master of language. I love listening to him form sentences in the stories he tells about his childhood as a poor, lonely boy in Massachussetts. The comedy footage is interspersed with personal reflections and interviews with friends and family. One of the most shocking elements is the footage he opens with, of his meltdown, a few years prior to open the special. Gulman is a good comedian, and I found his approach really brave and honest.

Yes, Chappelle and Bill Burr's new specials are hilarious but Gary Gulman's "The Great Depresh" is the most important of them all. I saw Gary preform his new special three times live... and he's is on top of his game. His truly honest portrayal of mental illness are societal issues that must be discussed. 10/10

Its a combination of him doing a live stand-up, after recovering from a mental health issue over a long period of time, mixed with documentary footage of him showing us his childhood home, talking to his mom, some of his day to day life etc. He is definitely funny in the stand-up and the slice of life portions do a good job of showing his life and helping to tell his complex and moving story...all the way from his childhood. I really liked it, for what it says on mental health, while also being strong enough on its own comedy wise. Probably one of my favorite of the comedy specials from HBO in some time.

I just watched this special on HBO because I've been enjoying Gary's comedy routines and am watching whatever I can. While he's funny, charming, vulnerable, and loveable, (with perfect timing), as usual in this special, it plays like an ad for psychiatric drugs and electric convulsive therapy. I know countless people who suffered, or still suffer, and / or became suicial due to the "treatments" Gary supports in this special. Some of them healed when they got off the drugs. Some suffer long-term effects because of the drugs and/ or ECT. I recommend reading the book Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill by award winning journalist Robert Whittaker for a more expansive, scientific understanding of these psyciatric "treatments." I also recommend following the Fb page or website "Mad in America" for stories of people harmed by the psychiatric industry.

I really enjoyed this comedy special. Gary Gulman shared what many people go through. He was open about what he has experienced. It was emotional. I laughted and I cried. And that's a good thing. Another reviewer wrote about what a shame it was that his career in comedy is probably over now, and I have to disagree with this person.