Summary
Mo’Nique is back and better than ever with a brilliant special.
Mo’Nique’s career has ranged from winning an Academy Award to performing stand-up comedy for over twenty years. My Name is Mo’Nique is her seventh stand-up special, but it is her first for Netflix and first since 2016. Can she recapture that magic?
The special begins with Mo’Nique walking backstage to head to the stage with us hearing voices over the top going back and forth with a woman saying, “Mo’Nique is a legend,” and the other saying, “She burned too many bridges and her career is over.” Before hitting the stage, we hear Mo’Nique say, “Thanks for the encouragement,” and we see her soak in the crowd who are chanting her name.
Mo’Nique opens her special with a bit about being in special education when she grew up. She details how she didn’t think she belonged in the class because one day, she saw a kid eating glue and was very confused.
However, she continues by saying that it was her mom’s fault for being illiterate. It takes some serious guts to get on the stage to call your mother out like this, but this opening was brilliant. My favorite bit of the special was her marijuana story, which had me in tears and laughing. The best thing about this entire special was seeing Mo’Nique lay it all out on the stage.
You could see the passion, pride, and want to be the best she could be on the stage that night. Of course, with all the controversy that surrounded her for years, the lawsuit with Netflix, and all the stuff that came with that, she walked on that stage with a chip on her shoulder and walked out like a boss, knowing she had just killed it.
Overall, My Name is Mo’Nique is further proof that Mo’Nique cemented herself as one of the queens of comedy with a knockout special for the ages. She came in with something to prove and walked out, reminding us she hadn’t lost a single step.
Her storytelling, attention to minor details, and punch lines will make you laugh for the entire special.
