Summary
A great special for newcomers to Louis C.K.’s world. It’s a thoroughly entertaining 60 minutes of daring, ridiculous stand-up that will leave you wanting to go straight into his past catalog.
I haven’t enjoyed a Netflix stand-up show in a while. The last two comedians I watched were Ali Wong and Wanda Sykes, so I was apprehensive about this special, Louis C.K.: Ridiculous. However, from the very first joke to the very last, I found myself giggling away, thoroughly enjoying myself.
One of the most effective elements of this comedy is, in fact, Louis C.K.’s demeanor and attitude acted out in his performance. From the very beginning, he makes a joke about how waking up every morning is actually the hardest thing to do, and how it takes him 45 minutes to realize that everything is actually okay! It was a joke I found unbelievably funny because I can relate to that experience 100%. Which makes me question: do I have the same demeanor as a 58-year-old? I’m kidding, I already knew this to be true.
The flow and pacing of the show were close to perfect. Louis C.K. has a wonderful skill set of knowing exactly how long to let tension hang in the air before “hitting us in the face with the punchline” (his words, not mine). I will admit there was a brief moment in the show in which a joke dragged on for a little too long, but that would be my only criticism – and even then, the joke still had enjoyable and funny aspects. Overall, the slight lull was a rare misstep in an otherwise daring set.
And speaking of being daring… let this serve as a trigger warning. Any snowflakes that walk into this stand-up show will not appreciate the comedy and will definitely have their feelings hurt. Comedy is an art form in which we can joke about the taboo topics of life and honestly just laugh at them. However, not everyone holds this same opinion. So, if you’re someone who thinks comedy should have boundaries, this one’s not for you. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging – that used to be me – but really, we all ought to stop taking comedy so seriously. It was clear that the audience was the kind of crowd that didn’t mind the risky jokes.
The theme of the stand-up was, as the Netflix tagline says, “unleashes the ridiculous thoughts in his mind.” Personally, I didn’t pick up on much of an overarching theme, per se. But it clearly didn’t need much of a theme apart from being ridiculous, which it was, in the best possible way.
If you’re new to Louis C.K., like me, this stand-up will definitely inspire you to go back and watch his previous shows. And that’s exactly what I plan on doing.
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