Summary
In a one-of-a-kind stand-up — in the style of a crime investigation — audiences are treated to more than just generic jokes.
It’s been a long time since The Overthinker on Netflix, but comedian Demetri Martin returns to the streaming giant with not one, but two comedy specials, the first being Demetri Deconstructed.
Martin began honing his craft on New York City’s vibrant stand-up circuit after graduating from Yale in 1995 and is known for bringing musical instruments as well as visual aids into his acts. His one-man show, If I, won the Perrier Award at the International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was turned into a special for the BBC. He’s had a strong career, and it’s just getting better.
Demetri Deconstructed is a short and sweet set with a runtime of just fifty-one minutes. The set begins with a blurry Martin coming into focus on the screen, with sound checks being done around him. We watch as he anxiously warms up and takes a deep breath, and we’re taken into this “comedy state of mind” around the theatre and his intense preparation.
Martin is like a giant child with his long messy hair, trainers, and striped top. It’s surprising when he comes out with a deep, dark monotone voice, but altogether he is easy to watch and listen to.
Martin has a storytelling style, taking us through personal experiences, mixed with some one-liners. He takes us through horses with mullets, his thoughts on scented trash bags, desk jobs, paying with cash, which sweet snacks to pay your hooker with, and even tries his hand at some crowd work.
Demetri Martin: Demetri Deconstructed | Image via Netflix
The whole set is in black and white — which I must admit I haven’t seen before — and it has a classic Hollywood vibe, but I found it took away from the bright energy live theatre is supposed to have. It is cool and quirky how it is set up like an old black-and-white crime drama, but I did question why. I was expecting him to discover something at the end and solve a case. Instead, he ends up in a lab saying he needs to take a mental laxative, and a to-be-continued sign comes up…
It’s quite a non-traditional comedy special, with a lot of editing going on for the audience at home. This, mixed with the black and white gives two completely different experiences for his in-house audience and home viewers. This is clever, I suppose, in making audiences want to watch his set twice.
Martin also brings on a guest… it’s a mean, sweary demon, which is a drawing that he manipulates and does the voice for. This section is very funny and brings a ridiculous dimension to the set.
I love the classic ba-dum-tss sound used after his dumb jokes and the many musical elements throughout. Surprisingly fun and uplifting.
What can I say overall? Martin puts on a good show, he is a showman. While all his bells and whistles are entertaining, it is distracting from what he’s saying, and I wonder what this set would be like if you took away the noises, the editing, and the demons.
Demetri Martin: Demetri Deconstructed is a one-of-a-kind stand-up special, and while I wasn’t laughing out loud, his style makes me intrigued for his next one. I will give credit that he manages to throw a lot into a short amount of time, and is entertaining throughout.
