Netflix Summary:
Jenny Slate’s first stand-up special is a mix of stage time, funny stories about adulthood and conversations with family in her childhood home.
FYA Summary:
I mean, that description already nails it, y’all. Jenny Slate’s comedy special jumps between the actual performance, old home videos, and documentary-style footage with her family members. (And fun fact: it’s directed by her Obvious Child director, Gillian Robespierre.)
Familiar Faces:
Jenny Slate as herself
I’ve known of Jenny Slate since her short-lived stint on SNL. But unlike her Parks and Rec alter ego Mona-Lisa Saperstein, Jenny is decidedly not the worst. And not to define women by their relationships with men, but I’m about to do the thing that I just said I didn’t want to do, in mentioning her previous relationship with my most-of-the-time Best Chris. (This is just always going to be an association that I’ll make with her.)
Couch-Sharing Capability: High
Comedy specials might lowkey be the most consistent genre for high couch-sharing capability? There’s nothing you need to know beforehand so you can watch it with anyone, it brings the LULZ (assuming you’ve chosen something in your comedic wheelhouse), and it’s only an hour long (assuming that you don’t need to pause for laugh breaks).
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Dealer’s Choice (No Pun Intended)
Beverages always pose as a potential spit-take hazard for comedy specials, but a good buzz (of either variety) does pair well with it.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Good
Real talk: I was all set to write up something completely different, but I totally did not have the right headspace or bandwidth for it — and a good comedy special is the perfect antidote for when you’re feeling blah, whether you’re writing about it or just watching it. Not everything landed with me, but the stuff that did had me downright cackling. (I’ll probably think about her wholesome New England Patriots fanfic until the end of time, it’s SO GOOD.) And the moments of fearless sincerity are so vulnerable that I just wanted to give her a hug.
