Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would review – an overall forgettable special

By Ricky Valero
Published: November 23, 2022 (Last updated: December 20, 2023)
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Summary

Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would is Noah’s typical shtick that sees some jokes land and some jokes that don’t.

Trevor Noah is someone that has seen his rise to the top of the landscape quickly ever since succeeding Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show. However, he recently announced that his time on The Daily Show is ending. But Trevor Noah returns to the stand-up stage in his latest special for Netflix, Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would. Is the special worth checking out? Let’s dive in.

We see the special open-up with an empty arena with Noah doing a mic check on the stage. He kind of toys with various things to ensure the mic is on point from an impression of Trump and Obama. Honestly, I love the creativity here, and this was a homerun for an opener, and I give it a solid ten out of ten. So let’s get into the jokes.

Noah tells the story of meeting his father, which is followed by the language barrier between the two. He follows by talking about the Royal Family and how everyone makes such a big deal about people overdramatizing her death. I loved this entire bit because not only was it true that the Queen died of old age, but people often miss the point when trying to force others to mourn about people we don’t even know. It’s one of those things that really bothers me. As Noah said, I am not saying people shouldn’t mourn people’s deaths, but just because she was the Queen didn’t make her any more important to the people outside looking in. You had businesses closed and people writing these long, drawn-out articles, but my goodness, don’t shove it down our throats.

I watch horror movies. I wait for people to make stupid decisions, and when they die, I say you deserve it.

When I tell you that I had it in my mind that if I ever attempted to do stand-up (I couldn’t), I would have an entire bit on awful decisions people make within horror movies. Seriously, I am not kidding when I say this might have been my favorite bit of 2022, and I am not joking. I could write for hours about how studios should watch Noah’s entire five or so minutes about how dumb horror movies can be, and I would personally deliver them the tape.

Now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Noah would go deep into the political world because that’s where he has spent almost the last decade. While it sometimes felt preachy, it never crosses the line. He did have a fun approach regarding couples and families who would also wish things would be a certain way (like wanting to be locked up together or families to have more time together), which was hilarious. But, again, it can be preachy, so if you don’t want to hear about COVID, you might not want to watch.

Overall, I liked but didn’t love Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would. He does a great job with his impressions that make the entire special worth watching, but he does swing and miss several times. I hope that maybe his next time on the stage, he might have a different point of view with The Daily Show in the rearview mirror.

What did you think of the Netflix comedy stand up special Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would? Comment below.

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