It's good to see the unique take on stand up but sadly the material sucks!
It's nice if he wants to try to help people but without laughter it just falls flat and the young girl sucks and doesn't fit in anywhere.
Hopefully you find this more enjoyable than I did, I gave it a 5 because it had good production value and a unique idea but the most important part which is the material needs work!
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jaystradamus7826 August 2018
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MBDD17 September 2018Watching this "comedy standup" special will without a doubt induce a panic attack in even the strongest willed, stable minded person. It feels as if you are locked in a room with no exits with an unstable man, spewing his darkest most cringeworthy secrets. An insestual spiral of Freud's greatest hits. This is not an exaggeration, this is the most truthful review I have ever written. If you're a person who finds this brilliant, you're the same type of person who finds a toilet in the middle of an art gallery thought provoking and moving. Flush this thing down the drain, I'm sorry if you already put yourself through the torment that is Drew Michael's inner thoughts. It's cold and dark in there, I still feel haunted by his ominous stare. A+
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melfoxridr26 August 2018I'm not sure what he was thinking. It was kinda like watching slam poetry at a coffee shop. I did not laugh once but I did glance at my husband asking him when it was going to be over. Finally after a few more minutes my husband turned it off. I read that this guy was a writer for SNL and I'm completely baffled. This was a disaster for HBO and I hope they do a better job vetting the comics that come their way next time.
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This movie does a really good job of talking about topics that aren't usually spoken about and there's a few laughs along the way. The self-awareness of this monologue is thought provoking and funny.
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kitty_little29 August 2018As soon as he blamed a doctor for a decision made on hearing aids, I thought it wasn't well thought out. Dude, your parents made that decision
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superliggy9 October 2018I look towards HBO for great stand up showcases as for nearly three decades it was the only place to find them consistently before Netflix came along. This was no different, a comedian I had never heard of with a special on HBO is always a great way to learn about a new talent and be entertained by a fresh take on society and/or life in general. I was a bit confused at first by the presentation. No audience and a performance monologue approach cut with a Skype conversation with a love interest is not what many consider stand up comedy. Drew's performance is paced differently as well, coming off at first as a bit whiny, hasty, and pessimistic, but then I realized without an audience and the expectation of a timed joke this was a man showing his inner demons without the pretense of a typical comedy show to buffer my insecurities on his thoughts or jokes. It made the experience so much more real, as if I was in my own head. Much like having a dark thought or joke that you would never share but still laughed out loud randomly to. Once I found the rhythm of the presentation, the whole piece became more engrossing, hilarious, and a new way to experience "stand up" comedy. Drew's honest, rapid fire, almost rambling deliver crossed with intimate and up close frames of himself made me feel connected to him as a real person lost in thought and feeding these enlightements and insecurities directly to my own mind without the stage, lights, and audience that forms a natural disconnect that we are not aware of or just accept. I was also highly impressed by Jerrod Carmichael's artistic vision in the direction and overall feel to the piece. Intimate, insecure, and most importantly, very funny. I will expect more comedians to try this approach in the future but as the first of it's kind, that I've come across anyways, it succeeds on every level.
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ruben-624478 September 2018I thought it was suppose to be a stand up special. Not a drama
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filiptp19 January 2019This shouldn't be advertised as stand-up comedy or comedy of any sorts. It's not even a little bit funny. Might be interesting for depressed teenage girls, though.
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Posygirl26 August 2018Some things are better left in the mind. Not sure the point of the girl either.
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Okay so here's the thing. Jerrod Carmichael did a phenomenal job directing this special. But it isn't his fault that it wasn't funny in the slightest definition of the word. I did enjoy the experimental idea of not having an audience and I think had it been a Jerrod Carmichael performance then it would've actually been a much better production.
Instead we're stuck with Drew Michael's cringeworthy takes on life that didn't make me laugh once. It was actually rather disturbing. That being said, I do think that this experimental take on a comedy special could be the start of something interesting where a special is portrayed in ways other than the traditional comedian and audience set up. When or if that does happen I just hope there is a better comedian involved.
I wouldn't recommend this to fans of comedy but I think aspiring directors might enjoy the way this was shot which is why I will give it a 4 out of 10 rating instead of something lower. -
theanah1 April 2019That reason was I had NO idea what I was watching. I was doing things around the house and missed the intro and title. Thankfully it wasn't too long before the credits appeared and I could IMDB it. I didn't get it, at all. I can only recommend if you need background noise.
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This was hilarious. It took me a few minutes to get the joke, and not everyone will, as you can see in the < 6-star ratings/reviews. I find it interesting when someone says not to waste your time -because they didn't think something was funny. How do you know what I think is funny?
After a bit I could see where he was coming from and I enjoyed what I would call the absurdity. He wasn't trying to help enlighten you about relationships -that would be absurd!
Listen, if you like HBO specials, which I do, give it a chance. As with most of their specials it takes me a while to get it, but they're usually enjoyable. This is a case in point. -
deloudelouvain10 December 2020My policy is once I start watching something I watch it until the end, no matter how bad it is, so I can write a honest review about it, but in this case I really struggled not shutting it off. I didn't but was really close doing it. Is a comedy not supposed to be funny? I get it that we can't all have the same sense of humor but this was by far the worst unfunny stand-up I ever watched in my life, and I watch a lot of stand-up comedies. Not once did I laugh, not even a tiny grin. I didn't know Drew Michael before watching this piece of garbage but now that I know him I'll make sure I write his name on a piece of paper so I will never make the mistake again watching something with him. I absolutely can't stand him, he's one of those egocentric people nobody really can't stand, one of those guys that thinks he's special but unfortunately he isn't and nobody in his entourage has the guts to tell him to shut up. I doubt he has a lot friends, or maybe just fake friends, or stuck-up people like him. After five minutes my wife and I already had enough of his endless ranting about things nobody cares besides himself. His show is also filmed in a ridicule way, it actually fits him well, another failure like his boring monologue. Every now and then Drew Michael calls Suki Waterhouse, another really annoying person to indulge. Their conversations are of another level of dumb, interesting to absolutely nobody. Her résumé about Drew Michael in the end was actually spot on, almost like he knows it himself that he's one of the most boring pompous people on earth. I can't believe HBO would air something like this. Does nobody checks the quality of a show before giving it the green light? I can't imagine somebody did this, and if so this person should be sacked.
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random-7077810 December 2020Firstly 90% of the one star reviewers here are people whose lifetime total reviewers is exactly one review. That points to s SINGLE whiner who was offended creating a dozen accounts to downgrade this routine. Are we surprised that his would happen in the PC world that gets offended at anything and everything?
I found this routine smart, subtle and original -
billsoccer4 November 2019I waited for 15 minutes to hear something even moderately amusing. Then, forwarded to the last 10 minutes, because - surely he's going to end with his strongest stuff, right? There was not a single laugh line in this! In fact, the end is a screed of his (supposed) girlfriend telling him there was nothing funny in his 'special' - exactly what you'll be saying if you don't heed this warning to not watch. He needs to be encouraged to take up a different line of work!!
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patrick_forster31 March 2020Everybody in the comedy world talked about how this comedy special was the worst. It was a thing where his friends were like "dude, I can't even look at him anymore." that's how bad it was. - Luis J Gomez
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tabs8014 August 2021Contained high brow low budget limited location. Limited mental capacity? Shoe string budget but high profile is like putting thousand island dressing on your wafers. Why do flakes sell out? Cause there's no snow perhaps. Nothing you want to see in a comedy special however quote on quote special you claim to be. The opposite of easy on the eyes. Sorry Andy hate to kick you while you're down. You didn't play yourself or get played. You're just a player without a team.
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plwyman27 August 2018I had to watch the Drew Michael special twice because I thought I might have missed some of the content; I did. It was even better the second time around. Now I'm totally in love with his work. He voices so many insecurities about himself that the majority of people clearly keep to themselves and he does it with such finesse. It's a big reveal that takes major guts. Then he implodes on himself at the end which is when I felt the bomb explode. Very powerful. I want more. Such clever writing deserves a really big audience, for sure. Thanks HBO!
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vikashpatel7229621 September 2018This is a very different type of special and for his content , it works very well. As a fan of standup , this is very different and people should check it out .
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thomaskurt213 June 2021Kudos to Drew and Jerrod - this is a brilliant dark-dark comedy experience. Hilarious despite (or due to) having no audience to cue you when to laugh. The format allows a crazy uncomfortable (in a good way) intimacy with the comic. If you are offend-able, this will offend you - comedy is as dark as it gets. I don't get the face-time interludes with the girlfriend, but those few minutes don't drag it down. I watch this every few months - I absolutely love it.
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NBrava13 December 2021Drew is talking to you.
I agree with a review that says they feel sorry for someone who doesn't get it. When I first watched this, I was confused for a bit about the set up, but as soon as I realized what was going on I really appreciated it. He's a sensitive man who has a hard time not being an a**hole. He is sharing that struggle in dark humor. If you watch this and don't try to open yourself up to it (because it is a VERY different stand up) then it would be easy to dislike. It's worth it to really listen though. -
inkkink2 May 2021Comedy specials have followed the same formula since Richard Pryor: Live in Concert. Comedian comes out on stage in front of an audience. Apart from occasional tweaks and flourishes, the format hasn't changed since 1979.
Drew Michael could've done that. But he didn't.
If you warm to Drew, this shift in style and presentation will be easier to adapt to.
This special takes place in Drew Michael's head. With his stand-up about his personal struggles played to excellent effect. I don't want to be too specific to not spoil the punch of the jokes. Lighting and staging are used to create great visuals The Special is beautiful to look at.
Additionally, rather than retell the words of his love interest, Suki Waterhouse instead is cast in the role. We aren't spoon fed what happened between them and if you aren't paying attention conclusions might be missed.
Drew's stand up is of the storytelling variety. Set-ups and punchlines are few and far between. When they do happen they are audaciously good. I mentioned earlier that the Special works better if you like Drew. How audacious you think he is depends on that.
Directed by Jerrod Carmichael this Special breaks the mould. Deserving of repeat viewings it gets funnier and says more each time.