Ali Wong: Single Lady

I've been a long-time fan of Ali Wong's standup, so I was excited to see her latest routine. This is far and away not her best work at all. It was nothing more than an entire hour devoted to her divorce, and telling the audience (repeatedly) that she's rich and successful, and how she deserves men who can gratify her properly with oral sex. OK, fine for a short while, but move on. I'm not complaining about the raunchy humor; you expect that from Ali Wong. Just be more imaginative with it. Move on to other topics. That used to be what was appealing about Ali: her talent for observational humor. It's almost entirely missing here.

As a longtime fan of Ali Wong, I enjoyed her previous Netflix specials, "Baby Cobra", "Hard Knock Wife", and "Don Wong", and her award-winning performance in the black comedy "Beef" with Steven Yeun. She's always excelled at balancing raunchy humor with biting social commentary and while I love some vulgarity as much as anyone when it serves a larger comedic goal, her latest special, "Single Lady", feels like a missed opportunity. Exploring post-divorce life and re-entry into the dating world has potential, but the material becomes repetitive quickly. After initial laughs at her escapades, we felt like we were being hit over the head with the same punchline again and again. That said, Wong's stage presence remains undeniable; she's as brash, unapologetic, and charismatic as ever, commanding attention with bold delivery and great comic timing. However, lazy writing and lack of fresher material results in fewer chuckles and chortles than I expected, and it's missing the sharpness and originality that made her previous specials so captivating.

Ali Wong's arrogance is on full display in this special. She's no longer able to rely on her pregnancy for comedy, so she shows us who she really is: the female Beavis and Butthead. Ali sees life as a series of men to bone and throw away. She spends the entire hour ranting about boning men: old men, young men, asian men, white men. She never talks about anything else, except how she's a millionaire. You could hear the audience lose interest as she jumps from one hookup to the next, all ending with her leaving the men because they didn't bone her the way she wanted. Ali never shows us who she really is. It feels like watching a cartoon character performing standup comedy. She's the female Beavis and Butthead: her only goal in life is to score.

Ali Wong's latest Netflix special unfortunately falls short of expectations, presenting a series of crude jokes that feel more like a reliance on shock value than genuine humor. As a 40-year-old woman with a child, I found the constant focus on sexual themes not only tiresome but also disheartening.

It seems as if Wong, despite her talent, leans heavily on sex jokes, which can be seen as a limiting representation of women in comedy. This approach feels outdated and misogynistic, perpetuating the stereotype that female comedians can only discuss their bodies or sexual experiences.

While I appreciate all forms of comedy, it's frustrating when women comedians fail to explore a broader range of topics. Comedy should reflect diverse experiences, and I believe that a good comedian can connect with audiences on various levels beyond sexual innuendo.

Wong has the potential to do better, and I hope to see her embrace a wider array of subjects in the future. This special was a missed opportunity to showcase her talents in a more empowering and nuanced way.

This special is the female equivalent of an entire special of d*** jokes. Smart d*** jokes, but still... low-hanging fruit.

Honestly, the aim of this is off. I love Ali Wong and I want to love this special, but it's hard to watch-even cringy, at times. The amount of strange flexing and bragging trying to land as jokes is more obnoxious than funny. More manifesto than engaging.

Comedy is a matter of taste. I get that. But if you're like me, you want more from a stand-up special than shock lines and a peek into the world of a rich, successful divorcee and her sexual play-by-play of middle-aged dating. This might be what others find entertaining, but for me, it's proof that no matter how smart and well-written ones jokes are, d*** jokes are still d*** jokes an an entire special of them feels like an easy way to get laughs. It feels cheap from any comic-no matter the gender.

Both my partner and I checked out mentally about a third of the way through.

The wrap up might be the most weirdly forced ending of a standup special that I've ever seen. Like, was she trying to save herself by injecting a touch of humility and vulnerability in the last hundred yards? I don't think it works.

I left this special disappointed and confused by how I was supposed to feel. Once the shock wears off, I'm left with nothing.