Jack Whitehall: I'm Only Joking review - he delivers once again in new Netflix special

3.5

Summary

He puts on a show and delivers, displaying how consistent he is with his material.

Netflix special stand-up Jack Whitehall: I’m Only Joking will be released on the platform on July 21, 2020. Check-out our other stand-up reviews.

Jack Whitehall is a difficult comedian to pin down, but what is for definite is that in each of his stand-ups, he will have a flurry of bizarre, animated stories for his prying audience. The comedian does not express himself in halves and relies on his quirks and brimming insecurities to land his punchlines. He’s aware of what he represents and in his latest stand-up, I’m Only Joking, he seems to be reviewing the current stage of his life.

Jack Whitehall: I’m Only Joking seems to show that the comedian is becoming braver with his jokes. For someone who considers himself “woke” and comedically berating his father for his less progressive beliefs, Jack uses a significant section of his routine to complain about the many varieties of milk and their purpose, and that milk should only come from a nipple. His joke sidetracks to plenty of vegan punchlines, only for him to cower away from the vegan fans in the audience.

I think Jack serves his comedy well when he chooses to push the boundaries rather than skip past them. As well as talking about veganism, the comedian talks about his irritability caused by happy couples (his romantic life is not doing so well), his life in hotels, and human stupidity. Jack laps up the audience who always warm to him — I’ve never seen him in a stand-up where the audience is a little silent in some quarters.

Of course, a stand-up with Jack Whitehall wouldn’t be a stand-up without the mention of his father. They are almost a partnership at this point as Jack’s love for his parents continues to show on the stage as he gives his best content — the time he and his father visited Chernobyl.

Netflix’s Jack Whitehall: I’m Only Joking is the same again from the comedian. He puts on a show and delivers, displaying how consistent he is with his material.