Summary
Jenny Slate is a strong storyteller who delivers just enough goods to make Seasoned Professional an enjoyable time.
Fans of the stand-up comedy scene know who Jenny Slate is. Her first special, Jenny Slate: Stage Fright, debuted on Netflix and currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Those who might not recognize Slate might’ve heard her in some of your favorite animated movies. She has voiced performances in popular films such as The Secret Life of Pets, Zootopia, and Despicable Me 3. She returns to the stand-up stage with her second special and first on Prime Video, Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional.
Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional sees Slate return to the stage for the first time in five years to tackle topics like unexpected pregnancy, getting a therapist, and trusting your partner with vulnerabilities.
Slate hits the stage mentioning she wanted to use the word breasts more. In a hilarious bit, she mentions that when she was breastfeeding her baby, she looked in a mirror and saw she had gained some big breasts, and it excited her. However, after time passed, they shrunk back to a smaller size.
For a minute, think about the idea of Jenny Slate opening her email and seeing that they wanted her to audition for the role of Pennywise. As we unpack this idea, Slate states she wished it was a joke and continues to talk about how frightening the idea of a studio really sending this email was. It resulted in her firing her whole team. This is one of the funniest bits you will hear this year.
Slate isn’t shy about sharing TMI on the stage, from talking about giving birth to having diarrhea on a school trip to masturbating. None of these are “offensive” before you come for me, but the presentation makes it funny. Slate’s delivery isn’t typical with her nasally voice, which she uses to her advantage with her often loud joke-telling.
Storytelling comedians aren’t something we should take for granted. The ability to build up a story and deliver a strong punchline isn’t easy to do. A comedian has to have confidence (especially less mainstream ones) to rely on their ability to make the audience want to follow along and like the landing. Slate’s ability to deliver in this manner was very impressive.
Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional is not a perfect comedy special, but it is highlighted by some pretty funny moments that had me rolling. Slate’s energy on the stage even shines when some of the jokes are landing. Her twisted and versatile bag of gags makes for a wild ride in which you never know where Slate is going to go.
If you are looking for a solid little date night comedy special to check out with a loved one, Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional checks that box. Grab some takeout and a glass of wine, and enjoy the show.
